Composite Cores | McMaster-Carr

	Thickness Thickness

	Width Width

24"

40"

45"

	Length Length

48"

86"

96"

	Flexibility Flexibility

Flexible

Rigid

	Maximum Temperature Maximum Temperature

	Minimum Temperature Minimum Temperature

-100° F

Not Rated

	Material Material

Wood

Foam

Carbon

	Density Density

	Tensile Strength Tensile Strength

	Tensile Strength Rating Tensile Strength Rating

Poor

Excellent

	REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals)

REACH Compliant

	Hardness Hardness

Knoop 2500

Not Rated

	RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)

RoHS Compliant

	DFARS (Defense Acquisition Regulations Supplement) DFARS (Defense Acquisition Regulations Supplement)

DFARS Specialty Metals
COTS-Exempt

	Compressive Strength Compressive Strength

	Color Color

	Green
	Gray
	Yellow

	Flexural Strength Flexural Strength

400 psi

Not Rated

	Thermal Conductivity Thermal Conductivity

5 W/m-K @ 20° C

0.066 W/m-K @ 24° C

	Performance Properties Performance Properties

	Appearance Appearance


Plain	Scored

	Friction Rating Friction Rating

Not Slippery

Not Rated

	Elongation Elongation

	Shear Strength Shear Strength

45 Products

About Plastic

Balsa Wood Cores

Lighter in weight than any other wood, yet still strong, these balsa cores stiffen composite sandwiches without weighing them down. They resist damage from impact and repeated use. Because they don’t let heat or sound pass through quickly, these cores are good natural insulators. They also resist chemicals. All come from balsa trees grown in FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified forests. They cannot be sold to Canada due to import regulations.

Rigid cores are often used in panels for partitions, industrial tanks, and other stiff structures.

Flexible cores are best for forming complex shapes.

For technical drawings and 3-D models, click on a part number.

Rigid Cores

Rigid

Thickness	Width	Length	Compressive Strength, psi	Temperature Range, °F	Cannot Be Sold To		Each
1/4"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	000000
3/8"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000
1/2"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000
5/8"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000
3/4"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000
1"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000
2"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000

Flexible Cores with Fiberglass Fabric Reinforcement

Flexible

Thickness	Width	Length	Compressive Strength, psi	Temperature Range, °F	Cannot Be Sold To		Each
1/4"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	000000
3/8"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000
1/2"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000
3/4"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000
1"	24"	48"	1,500	-100° to 325°	Canada	00000000	00000

Stiff PVC Foam Cores

Plain

Scored

Color: See table
Maximum Temperature: 170° F
Tensile Strength: See table
For Use Outdoors: Yes

Add stiffness to composite sandwiches without adding a lot of weight. These cores are lighter in weight than balsa wood and aluminum honeycomb cores, but not as strong. Their cross-linked foam polymers, however, make them stronger and more durable than PET foam cores. All of these cores are moisture resistant and offer good sound insulation. Use them in composite layups, structural panels, partitions, and industrial tanks.

Scored cores have cuts in a grid pattern that make them easier to bend and form into complex shapes than plain cores.

For technical drawings and 3-D models, click on a part number.

Plain
Thickness	Thickness Tolerance	Tensile Strength, psi	Tensile Strength Rating	Color		Each
40" × 86"
3/8"	-0.02" to 0.02"	370	Excellent	Green	0000000	0000000
1/2"	-0.02" to 0.02"	370	Excellent	Green	0000000	000000
5/8"	-0.02" to 0.02"	370	Excellent	Green	0000000	000000
3/4"	-0.02" to 0.02"	370	Excellent	Green	0000000	000000
1 1/4"	-0.02" to 0.02"	370	Excellent	Green	0000000	000000
1 3/4"	-0.02" to 0.02"	370	Excellent	Green	0000000	000000
45" × 96"
1/2"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000
1"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000
1 1/4"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000
1 1/2"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000
2"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000
Scored
45" × 48"
3/8"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000
1/2"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000
3/4"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000
1"	-0.02" to 0.02"	300	Excellent	Yellow	0000000	000000

Lightweight UV-Resistant PET Foam Cores

Clarity: Opaque
Color: Green
Maximum Temperature: 300° F
Tensile Strength: See table
Impact Strength: Not Rated
Hardness Rating: Not Rated
For Use Outdoors: Yes

When exposed to UV rays, these cores won’t become brittle or break down. Use them to add stiffness to composite sandwiches that may be used outdoors without adding a lot of weight. All of these cores are lighter in weight than PVC, balsa wood, and aluminum honeycomb cores, but not as strong. They’re also moisture resistant and recyclable. These cores are often used in composite layups, structural panels, partitions, and industrial tanks. You can even soften them with heat, place them into a mold, and then cool them to create a variety of different shapes. Those with a higher density are stiffer, stronger, and weigh more than those with a lower density.

For technical drawings and 3-D models, click on a part number.

Plain
Thickness	Thickness Tolerance	Tensile Strength, psi	Tensile Strength Rating	Density, lbs./cu. in.		Each
40" × 96"
3/8"	-0.02" to 0.02"	260	Excellent	0.002	0000000	000000
3/8"	-0.02" to 0.02"	320	Excellent	0.003	0000000	000000
1/2"	-0.02" to 0.02"	260	Excellent	0.002	0000000	00000
1/2"	-0.02" to 0.02"	320	Excellent	0.003	0000000	000000
5/8"	-0.02" to 0.02"	260	Excellent	0.002	0000000	000000
5/8"	-0.02" to 0.02"	320	Excellent	0.003	0000000	000000
1"	-0.02" to 0.02"	260	Excellent	0.002	0000000	000000
1"	-0.02" to 0.02"	320	Excellent	0.003	0000000	000000

High-Temperature Acid-Resistant Silicon-Carbide Ceramic Foam

Color: Gray
Maximum Temperature: 3,000° F
Compressive Strength: 200 psi

A silicon carbide coating over a carbon foam base combines the hardness, chemical resistance, and high temperatures silicon carbide is known for with the lightweight versaitility of foam. It’s often used for cores in composite layers and to filter molten metal and corrosive liquids.

The silicon carbide coating acts as a thermal conductor, transferring heat to quickly cool liquids that pass through. Known for its hardness, silicon carbide won’t break down from repeated abrasion. However, because it’s so hard, this material is more brittle than plain carbon foam and less impact resistant than balsa wood, PET, and PVC foam cores.

Acids and bases can’t penetrate the silicon carbide coating, even at high temperatures. Instead, contaminants stick to the surface, making it a great filter for corrosive liquids and environmental pollutants such as exhaust. If using this material as a filter, choose a foam with more pores per inch for a slower flow rate, and a foam with fewer pores per inch for a faster flow rate.

If you cut this material, the underlying carbon foam is exposed. Carbon foam does not have the temperature range and chemical resistance of its silicon carbide coating, so it will break down more quickly at exposed points.

For technical drawings and 3-D models, click on a part number.

			3" × 3"		6" × 6"
Thickness	Thickness Tolerance	Pores Per Inch		Each		Each
1/8"	-0.010" to 0.010"	60	00000000	0000000	00000000	0000000
1/8"	-0.010" to 0.010"	100	00000000	000000	00000000	000000
1/4"	-0.010" to 0.010"	20	00000000	000000	00000000	00000000
1/4"	-0.010" to 0.010"	60	00000000	000000	00000000	00000000
1/4"	-0.010" to 0.010"	100	00000000	000000	00000000	00000000