Strength of Common Building Materials

Building materials

Here are strength of some common building materials based on BS 648. This is useful information for civil/structural engineers

Asphalt 

Roofing 2 layers; 19 mm thick,  42 kg per meter square.

Damp-proofing; 19 mm thick, 41 kg per meter square.

Roads and footpaths; 19 mm thick 44 kg per meter square.

Bitumen roofing felts 

Mineral surfaced bitumen;     3.5 kg per meter square.

Blockwork 

Solid per 25 mm thick stone aggregate ;  55 kg per meter square.

Aerated per 25 mm thick;        15 kg per meter square.

Board

Blockboard per 25 mm thick;   12.5 kg per meter square.

Brickwork 

Clay, solid per 25 mm thick;     55 kg per meter square

Medium density Concrete, solid per 25 mm thick;   59 kg per meter square.

Cast stone;  2250 kg per meter cubic.

Concrete 

Natural aggregates;   2400 kg per meter cubic.

Lightweight aggregates (structural); 1760 + 240/ −160 kg per meter cubic.

Flagstones 

Concrete 50 mm thick;   120 kg meter square.

Glass fibre 

Slab, per 25 mm thick; 2.0–5.0 kg meter square.

Gypsum panels and partitions 

Building panels 75 mm thick;    44 kg meter square.

Lead 

Sheet, 2.5 mm thick;    30 kg per meter square.

Linoleum 

3 mm thick; 6 kg per meter square.

Plaster

Two coats gypsum; 13 mm thick;    22 kg per meter square.

Plastics sheeting (corrugated);   4.5 kg per meter square.

Plywood

per mm thick;    0.7 kg meter square.

Reinforced concrete;     2400 kg meter cubic.

Rendering 

Cement: sand (1:3), 13 mm thick;   30 kg per meter square.

Screeding 

Cement: sand (1:3), 13 mm thick; 30 kg per meter square.

Slate tiles 

(depending upon thickness and source);  24–78 kg per meter cubic .

Steel 

Solid (mild); 7850 kg per meter cubic.

 Corrugated roofing sheets; 10 kg per meter square per mm thick.

Tarmacadam ;

25 mm thick 60 kg per meter square.

Terrazzo; 

 25 mm thick 54 kg per meter square.

Tiling, roof 

Clay; 70 kg per meter square.

Timber 

Softwood;  590 kg per meter cubic .

Hardwood; 1250 kg per cubic meter.

Water; 1000 kg per meter cubic.

Woodwool

 Slabs; 25 mm thick 15 kg per meter square.

Note: to convert to Newtons per millimeter square; Multiply the amount in kg by 10 and then divide by 1000

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