Cork
Cork is a wood-based material. It has the highest ductility among wood-based materials. In addition, it has the highest heat capacity and the lowest tensile strength. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare cork to other wood-based materials (top) and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Compressive (Crushing) Strength
1.0 MPa 0.15 x 103 psi
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
0.020 GPa 0.0029 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
15 %
Shear Modulus
0.010 GPa 0.0015 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
0.85 MPa 0.12 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
2000 J/kg-K 0.48 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
0.040 W/m-K 0.023 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
200 µm/m-K
Other Material Properties
Density
0.15 g/cm3 9.4 lb/ft3
Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential)
1.5 kV/mm 0.059 V/mil
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
0.074 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
60 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
1.6 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
13 points
Thermal Diffusivity
0.13 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
16 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material, Forest Products Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, 1999