Thermoplastic comparison
Polylactic acid (PLA) vs TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane)
Every value below is a typical room-temperature figure with its source, test method and conditions — the same dataset that drives the calculators.
| Property | Polylactic acid (PLA) | TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.24 g/cm³ | 1.2 g/cm³ | Polylactic acid (PLA) — 3% higher |
| Young's modulus E | 3.5 GPa | 0.03 GPa | Polylactic acid (PLA) — 116.7× higher |
| Tensile strength | 50 MPa | 40 MPa | Polylactic acid (PLA) — 25% higher |
| Glass transition Tg | 58 °C | -35 °C | Polylactic acid (PLA) — 93 °C higher |
Where these numbers come from
- Farah, Anderson & Langer, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 107 (2016) 367–392 — comprehensive PLA property review
- MakeItFrom.com materials database — typical grade values
- CAMPUS plastics database — typical grade datasheet values (campusplastics.com)
Typical room-temperature values for learning and preliminary design; grades vary widely and a supplier datasheet always overrides a textbook figure. Confirm against the datasheet before design work.