Material Index Explorer
Rank aerospace materials by stiffness, strength, density, and cost-adjusted performance for early sizing.
Custom material
Best index
CFRP unidirectional
Stiff tension member, E/rho
Specific stiffness
84.4 MN m/kg
937.5 kN m/kg specific strength
Tie mass
237.0 g
stiffness-limited for the reference tie
Cost-adjusted index
1,054,687.50
80.00 $/kg
Selection map
Materials above the diagonal guide lines deliver more stiffness or strength per kilogram.
Stiff tension member, E/rho
Best material
CFRP unidirectional
237.0 g reference tie
Comparison mass
3.04x
Custom material by selected index
Governing check
stiffness
area 148.1 mm2 by stiffness
Material ranking
| Material | Index | Relative mass | E/rho | Tie mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFRP unidirectional | 1.000 | 1.00x | 84.4 | 237.0 g |
| CFRP quasi-isotropic | 0.519 | 1.93x | 43.8 | 457.1 g |
| Custom material | 0.329 | 3.04x | 27.8 | 720.0 g |
| Steel 4130 | 0.310 | 3.23x | 26.1 | 765.9 g |
| Titanium Ti-6Al-4V | 0.305 | 3.28x | 25.7 | 777.2 g |
| Aluminum 6061-T6 | 0.302 | 3.31x | 25.5 | 783.7 g |
| Aluminum 7075-T6 | 0.302 | 3.31x | 25.5 | 783.8 g |
| Magnesium AZ31B | 0.301 | 3.32x | 25.4 | 786.7 g |
| Inconel 718 | 0.289 | 3.46x | 24.4 | 819.0 g |
| GFRP laminate | 0.156 | 6.41x | 13.2 | 1,520.0 g |
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