Reference database for structural engineering materials. Find Young's Modulus, yield strength, shear modulus, and density for steel, aluminum, wood, and more.
The table lists the four properties the other BeamMetric calculators consume: Young's Modulus E for stiffness, yield strength for the onset of permanent deformation, shear modulus G for torsion, and density for self-weight. Values are given for seven common structural materials.
Both listed steels share E = 200,000 MPa and a 7,850 kg/m³ density, but A992 yields at 345 MPa against 250 MPa for A36 — switching grades adds strength without adding stiffness. Stainless 304 sits nearby at E = 193,000 MPa with a lower 215 MPa yield.
Aluminum 6061 (E = 69,000 MPa, 2,700 kg/m³) is roughly a third as stiff and a third as dense as steel, while Titanium Gr5 combines an 880 MPa yield with 4,510 kg/m³. The two woods, Douglas Fir and Southern Pine, bracket E = 12,400–13,800 MPa at densities near 530–590 kg/m³.
Stiffness is identical — both have E = 200,000 MPa — but A992 yields at 345 MPa versus 250 MPa for A36, a 38% strength advantage at the same density. A beam swapped from A36 to A992 resists more load before yielding yet deflects exactly the same.
They answer different questions. E governs deflection and buckling, which often control long spans; yield strength governs permanent deformation. Titanium Gr5 yields at 880 MPa — two and a half times A992 — yet its E of 114,000 MPa is little more than half of steel's, so it deflects far more under the same load.
Remarkably, the metals are nearly tied: E divided by density gives about 25.5 for steel (200,000/7,850), 25.6 for 6061 aluminum, and 25.3 for Titanium Gr5 in matching units. Light metals win on absolute weight, not specific stiffness — even Douglas Fir reaches about 23.4.
Torsion and shear deformation depend on G rather than E, and the ratio differs by material: steel's G of 79,300 MPa is about 40% of its E, while Douglas Fir's 810 MPa is barely 6.5% of its E — wood is disproportionately flexible in twist.