Materials

Cards (62)

  • Hardwoods are from deciduous trees and include beech, ash, mahogany and oak.
  • Softwoods are from coniferous trees (evergreens) such as pine, spruce and fir.
  • Plywood is made from thin sheets of wood glued together with the grain at right angles to create strength.
  • Beechwood is hard, strong, tough and bends well
  • Ashwood is flexible, tough and bends well
  • Mahogany wood is medium-weight, quite strong, durable and easy to work with
  • Mahogany wood warps easily
  • Teak wood is light, strong, waterproof and resists rot
  • Oak is tough, heavy and durable. It also hardens with age.
  • Red pine is straight grained but knotty
  • Red pine is easy to work with and quite strong
  • Softwoods are more sustainable than hardwoods
  • Spruce wood is straight grained and contains few knots
  • Spruce wood is easy to work with and quite strong
  • Spruce wood is not every durable, and will scratch and wear.
  • Wood can be treated by painting or staining it
  • Flexi-ply is the same as plywood but is more flexible
  • Veneered boards have the same properties as their core material
  • Block boards are used for worktops and fire doors. They are made from wood blocks and glue.
  • MDF (medium density fibreboard) is made from sawdust and resin. It has good strength and durability, and is often painted or veneered. It is not waterproof but is easily machined.
  • Chipboard is made of wood chips and glue, it is cheap and easy to work with. Its strength is dependant on the density of the wood chips and is heavy.
  • Hardboard is similar to cardboard but harder. It is weak and brittle.
  • Two examples of composites are glass-reinforced plastic and carbon -fibre plastics.
  • Carbon fibre plastics are very strong and stiff. They are lightweight and corrosion free. They are expensive and difficult to recycle.
  • Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) is strong and durable. It can be moulded into any shape and is lightweight. It is expensive and difficult to recycle.
  • Metals are ductile and malleable. They conduct heat and electricity well. They are recyclable and long lasting. They are also expensive and heavy.
  • Non-ferrous metals are metals that do not contain iron.
  • Ferrous metals are magnetic and are made of iron.
  • Alloys are metals that have been mixed with other elements to combine their properties.
  • Copper is used in electrical wiring due to its good conduction of electricity.
  • Zinc is used to galvanise other metals to weatherproof them
  • Zinc is soft, ductile and malleable. It also has a high resistance to corrosion.
  • Tin is soft, ductile and heavy. It also resists corrosion.
  • Aluminium is strong and lightweight, so it is used in aircraft and cars.
  • Copper is tough, ductile and malleable, but expensive.
  • Brass is a copper and zinc alloy that is used for musical instruments and decorative objects.
  • Brass polishes and casts well, is hard, easily joined and corrosion resistant.
  • Iron or cast iron is prone to rust.
  • Cast iron is a brittle but strong material that is used for engines and vices.
  • Mild steel is malleable and ductile, and so is used for screws and bolts, and car bodies.