Natural rubber
Density of natural rubber
950 kg/m³ (920–1,000)
0.95 g/cm³ · 59.3 lb/ft³
Still unbeaten for tear strength and for the ability to stretch several hundred percent and come back, which is why heavy truck and aircraft tyres use natural rubber where car tyres use synthetics. It has the opposite of normal thermal behaviour: a stretched rubber band contracts when heated, because heat randomizes the stretched-out molecules. Its weaknesses are ozone and oil — both crack or swell it — and latex protein allergy, which is what pushed surgical gloves towards nitrile.
Properties
- Density
- 950 kg/m³ (920–1,000) — 0.95 g/cm³
- Tensile strength
- 20–30 MPa
- Young's modulus
- 0.003 GPa
- Thermal conductivity
- 0.13 W/(m·K)
- Thermal expansion
- 220 µm/(m·K)
- Floats in water
- Yes
- Magnetic
- No
What it is used for
- Truck and aircraft tyre carcasses
- Anti-vibration engine and building mounts
- Surgical gloves and elastic bands
- Conveyor belts and hoses
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
natural rubber 950 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
| 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× |
| natural rubber ← | 950 kg/m³ | 0.95× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |
Does it rust?
Natural rubber contains no iron, so it cannot rust. Whether it degrades depends on the material, not on oxidation.
Is it magnetic?
Natural rubber is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.
Common questions
- What is the density of natural rubber?
- 950 kg/m³ (920–1,000), or 0.95 g/cm³.
- Does natural rubber float?
- Yes. At 950 kg/m³ it is less dense than water's 1,000.
- Is natural rubber magnetic?
- Natural rubber is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.
Related pages
- Does natural rubber float? Yes
- PLA 1,240 kg/m³
- ABS 1,050 kg/m³
- Acrylic (PMMA) 1,180 kg/m³
- Polycarbonate 1,200 kg/m³
- Polypropylene 905 kg/m³
- PTFE 2,170 kg/m³
- Rigid PVC 1,400 kg/m³
- HDPE 955 kg/m³
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place