---
title: "Balsa — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Balsa has a density of 160 kg/m³ (100–250). Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/balsa/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Balsa

**Density of balsa: 160 kg/m³ (100–250)**

0.16 g/cm³ · 10.0 lb/ft³

The lightest commercial timber, and a genuine hardwood despite the name — its cells are mostly empty. In composite sandwich panels it is used end-grain, with the fibres running through the thickness, where it carries shear between two thin skins at a fraction of the weight of solid laminate; whole wind turbine blades are built this way. Its stiffness-to-weight ratio along the grain is in the same league as steel, which is the reason it survived into engineering long after model aircraft stopped being the main market.

## Properties

- **Density:** 160 kg/m³ (100–250) — 0.16 g/cm³
- **Young's modulus:** 3.4 GPa
- **Floats in water:** Yes
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- Model aircraft structure
- Sandwich panel cores in boat hulls and wind turbine blades
- Surfboard and paddleboard cores
- Packaging for delicate instruments

## How it compares

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.*

- air: 1.2 kg/m³
- expanded polystyrene foam: 20 kg/m³
- rigid polyurethane foam: 40 kg/m³
- balsa: 160 kg/m³
- Water — the float line: 1,000 kg/m³
- tungsten: 19,250 kg/m³
- gold: 19,300 kg/m³
- platinum: 21,450 kg/m³

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| Material | Density | Relative to water |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| balsa ← | 160 kg/m³ | 0.16× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |

## Does it rust?

Balsa contains no iron, so it cannot rust. Whether it degrades depends on the material, not on oxidation.

## Is it magnetic?

Balsa is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.

## Common questions

### What is the density of balsa?

160 kg/m³ (100–250), or 0.16 g/cm³.

### Does balsa float?

Yes. At 160 kg/m³ it is less dense than water's 1,000.

### Is balsa magnetic?

Balsa is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.

## Related pages

- [Does balsa float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/balsa/)
- [Pine](https://atoneplace.net/material/pine/)
- [Plywood](https://atoneplace.net/material/plywood/)
- [MDF](https://atoneplace.net/material/mdf/)
- [White oak](https://atoneplace.net/material/white-oak/)
- [Red oak](https://atoneplace.net/material/red-oak/)
- [Spruce](https://atoneplace.net/material/spruce/)
- [Western red cedar](https://atoneplace.net/material/cedar/)
- [Hard maple](https://atoneplace.net/material/maple/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)