---
title: "Ice — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Ice has a density of 917 kg/m³. Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/ice/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Ice

**Density of ice: 917 kg/m³**

0.92 g/cm³ · 57.2 lb/ft³

At 917 kg/m³ it is 8% less dense than the water it came from, which is why it floats and why a bottle of water left in a freezer splits — that 8% expansion generates pressures no domestic container survives. Almost uniquely among solids, ice conducts heat four times better than its own liquid, so a layer of ice on a pond insulates far less well than it looks. It is also right at its melting point in ordinary use, which is why it creeps under load and why glaciers flow.

## Properties

- **Density:** 917 kg/m³ — 0.92 g/cm³
- **Melting point:** 0 °C
- **Tensile strength:** 1–2 MPa
- **Young's modulus:** 9 GPa
- **Thermal conductivity:** 2.2 W/(m·K)
- **Hardness:** 1.5 Mohs
- **Thermal expansion:** 51 µm/(m·K)
- **Floats in water:** Yes
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- Cooling and food preservation
- Ice roads and winter construction
- Sculpture and event work
- Ice rinks and winter sport surfaces

## 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
- ice: 917 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× |
| ice ← | 917 kg/m³ | 0.92× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |

## Does it rust?

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

## Is it magnetic?

Ice is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.

## Common questions

### What is the density of ice?

917 kg/m³, or 0.92 g/cm³.

### Does ice float?

Yes. At 917 kg/m³ it is less dense than water's 1,000.

### Is ice magnetic?

Ice is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.

## Related pages

- [Does ice float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/ice/)
- [Air](https://atoneplace.net/material/air/)
- [Paper](https://atoneplace.net/material/paper/)
- [Corrugated cardboard](https://atoneplace.net/material/cardboard/)
- [Cork](https://atoneplace.net/material/cork/)
- [Leather](https://atoneplace.net/material/leather/)

## Sources

- United States Geological Survey — USGS (https://www.usgs.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]