Densities

A variety of radiation-related assessments and analyses require an understanding of material densities, particularly when shielding and/or transmission issues arise. The following listing of the densities of common materials has been prepared to facilitate those calculations.

The values shown below are in units of  "grams per cubic centimeter".

Air (20 degrees C, 76 cm Hg) - 0.001205

Aluminum - 2.739

Ammonia (liquid) - 0.771

Ammonium Nitrate - 0.730

Amonium Sulphate

• Dry - 1.130
• Wet - 1.290

Apples - 0.641

Asbestos - 2.2 to 2.8

Ashes

• Wet - 0.730 to 0.890
• Dry - 0.570 to 0.650

Asphalt - 1.1 to 1.5

Asphalt (crushed) - 0.721

Bakelite (typical) - 1.20 to 1.70

Baking Powder - 0.721

Barium

• Barite (barium sulfate) - 4.5
• Elemental - 3.5

Bauxite

• Solid - 3.011
• Crushed - 1.281

Beeswax - 0.961

Bentonite - 0.593

Benzene - 0.737

Beryllium - 1.85

Bismuth - 9.78

Bone - 1.7 to 2.0

Brick

• Common red - 1.922
• Fire clay - 2.403
• Silica - 2.050
• Chrome - 2.803
• Magnesia - 2.563

Butter - 0.86 to 0.87

Cadmium - 8.65

Calcium - 1.55

Carbon

• Carbon dioxide (at STP) - 1.79 grams per liter
• Carbon monoxide (at STP) - 1.25
• Graphite - 2.25
• Carbon steel - 7.84
• Powdered - 0.080
• Solid - 2.146

Cardboard - 0.689

Cellulose

• Amorph - 1.3 to 1.6
• Wood - 0.5 to 0.9

Cement

• Clinker - 1.290 to 1.540
• Portland - 1.506
• Mortar - 2.162
• Slurry - 1.442

Ceramic

• Alumina - 3.9
• Aluminosilicate - 2.6
• Boron Carbide - 2.5
• Glass - 2.6
• Iron Slag - 2.755
• Graphitte - 2.163
• Lead Glass - 2.8
• Quartz Glass - 2.2
• Sapphire - 3.99
• Tungsten Carbide - 15.7
• Zirconia - 5.75
• Zirconium Carbide - 6.56

Cesium - 1.873

Charcoal

• Oak - 0.57
• Pine - 0.28 to 0.44

Chalk

• Solid - 2.499
• Lumpy - 1.442
• Fine - 1.121

Charcoal - 0.208

Cinders

• Furnace - 0.913
• Coal ash - 0.641

Clay

• Compacted - 1.746
• Dry excavated - 1.089
• Dry lump - 1.073
• Fire - 1.362
• Wet excavated - 1.826
• Wet lump - 1.602

Coal

• Bituminous - 1.2 to 1.5
• Anthracite - 1.4 to 1.8
• Coke - 1.201
• Lignite - 1.25

Cobalt - 8.8

Concrete

• Limestone w/Portland - 2.370
• Gravel - 2.400

Copper - 8.93

Cork

• Solid - 0.240
• Ground - 0.160

Crushed Stone - 1.600

Deuterium (H-2 at the boiling point of the liquid) - 0.0165

Diamond - 3.01 to 3.52

Dolomite

• Solid - 2.899
• Pulverized - 0.737
• Lumpy - 1.522

Earth

• Dense - 2.002
• Fullers, raw - 0.673
• Loam, dry excavated - 1.440
• Moist, excavated - 1.442
• Packed - 1.522
• Soft loose mud - 1.730
• Wet, excavated - 1.602

Ethyl Alcohol - 0.802

Fiberglass Insulation - 0.032

Film emulsion - 3.815

Fuel oil (medium weight) - 0.89

Garbage (household rubbish) - 0.481

Garnet grit - 3.9 to 4.1

Gasoline - 0.721

Gelatin - 1.27

Glass

• Borosilicate - 2.23
• Broken or cullet - 1.290 to 1.940
• Crown - 2.5 to 2.8
• Flint - 3.7 to 7.2
• Fused silica - 2.2
• Lead - 6.4
• Lead crystal - 3.1
• Plate (avg.) - 2.4
• Window - 2.579

Glue

• Animal, flaked - 0.561
• Vegetable, powdered - 0.641

Gold

• Pure - 19.32
• Coin - 17.89

Graphite (flake) - 0.641

Gravel

• Loose, dry - 1.520
• With sand , natural- 1.920
• Dry, 1/4 to 2 inch - 1.682
• Wet, 1/4 to 2 inch - 2.002

Gypsum

• Solid - 2.787
• Broken - 1.290 to 1.600
• Crushed - 1.602
• Pulverized - 1.112
• 3/8-inch Plaster Board - 0.76 g/m2
• 1/2-inch Plaster Board - 1.02 g/m2
• 5/8-inch Plaster Board - 1.27 g/m2

Helium - 0.0001785

Hydrogen - 0.00008988

Ice

• Crushed - 0.593
• Solid - 0.919

Indium - 7.43

Iron

• Cast (pig) - 7.208
• Metal - 7.86
• Ore (Hematite) - 5.206
• Ore (Magnetite) - 5.046
• Oxide pigment - 0.400
• Pyrites - 2.400
• Sulphate (pickling tank), dry - 1.200
• Sulphate (pickling tank), wet - 1.290
• Wrought - 7.568

Ivory - 1.83 to 1.92

Lead - 11.389

Leather (common) - 0.946

Limestone - 2.739

Linoleum - 1.18

Lithium Fluoride - 2.64

Lumber (Framing, douglas Fir) - 0.561

Magnesium - 1.74

Manure - 0.400

Marble (calcium carbonate) - 2.5 to 2.9

Mercury - 13.55

Methyl Alcohol - 0.809

Mineral Oil - 0.914

Molybdinum - 10.3

Mud

• Fluid - 1.730
• Packed - 1.906

Muscle - ~1

Mylar - 1.39

Nickel - 8.8

Nylon - 1.09 to 1.14

Oil

• Cake - 0.785
• Linseed - 0.942
• Petroleum - 0.881

Oyster Shells (ground) - 0.849

Paper - 0.7 to 1.201

Paraffin - 0.898

Peat

• Dry - 0.400
• Moist - 0.801
• Wet - 1.121

Plaster - 0.849

Plastic

• HDPE - 0.955
• Kevlar (149) - 1.47
• Kevlar (29) - 1.44
• Polyurethane - 1
• Rubber - 1.506

Platinum - 21.3

Plexiglass (Lucite) - 1.16 to 1.20

Plutonium - 17.35

Polyethylene - 0.92

Polymethyl methacrylate (Lucite) - 1.19

Polystyrene - 1.03 to 1.07

Polystyrene Insulation

• Extruded - 0.029
• Expanded - 0.024

Polyurethane Insulation - 0.024

Porcelain - 2.3 to 2.5

Potassium - 0.87

Pyrex glass - 2.23

Quartz

• Solid - 2.643
• Lump - 1.554
• Sand - 1.201

Rip-Rap - 1.602

Rock salt - 2.18

Rock

• Excavated with shovel - 1.600 to 1.780
• Sandstone - 2.40
• Limestone - 2.91
• Granite - 2.45

Rubber

• Caoutchouc - 0.945
• Ground scrap - 0.481
• Manufactured - 1.522
• Natural - 0.92
• Butadiene copolymer - 0.915
• Neoprene - 1.23

Sand

• Bank - 1.483
• Dry - 1.602
• Loose - 1.442
• Torpedo - 1.602
• Water-filled - 1.922
• Wet - 1.922
• Wet, packed - 2.082
• With gravel, dry - 1.650
• With gravel, wet - 2.020

Sea Water - 1.025

Sewage sludge - 0.721

Silicon dioxide - 2.32

Silicon - 2.42

Silver - 10.49

Slag

• Solid - 2.1 to 3.9
• Broken - 1.762
• Crushed, 1/4 inch - 1.185

Snow

• Compacted - 0.480
• Freshly fallen - 0.160

Soap

• Solid - 0.801
• Chips - 0.160
• Flakes - 0.160
• Powdered - 0.368

Sodium

• Elemental - 0.971
• Sodium Iodide - 3.67

Starch - 1.53

Steel

• 1% carbon - 7.83
• Cold drawn - 7.83
• Framing - 7.849
• Soft (0.06% C) - 7.87
• Stainless (Type 304) - 8.03
• Stainless (Type 347) - 7.8
• Stainless (27CR) - 7.47

Stone

• Crushed - 1.602
• Common, generic - 2.515

Sugar

• Brown - 0.721
• Powdered - 0.801
• Granulated - 0.801
• Raw cane - 0.961

Talc - 2.7 to 2.8

Tantalum - 16.6

Tar - 1.153

Tobacco - 0.320

Tin (cast hammered) - 7.352

Titanium - 4.5

Thorium - 11.6

Tungsten - 19.3

Uranium - 18.74

Vegetable Oil - 0.93

Vernucykute 0 0.641

Water

• Pure (at 20 degrees C) - 1.00
• Sea - 1.026

Wood

• Alder - 0.42 to 0.68
• Apple - 0.66 to 0.84
• Ash - 0.51
• Balsa - 0.11 to 0.14
• Bamboo - 0.31 to 0.40
• Birch - 0.705
• Cedar - 0.49 to 0.57
• Dogwood - 0.76
• Mahogany - 0.705
• Oak - 0.77
• Pressed pulp board - 0.19
• Red Oak - 0.673
• Southern Pine - 0.65
• Sugar Maple - 0.689
• Walnut - 0.593
• White Pine - 0.67

Zinc - 6.92

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