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| Material | Cardboard | MDF | Plywood | Plywood + Fiberglass | Plywood + Carbon Fiber | Full-composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical Use | Estes rockets | Small bulkheads, sealing, fast machining | General-purpose | High-strength, general purpose | High-strength, general purpose | High-strength, low weight |
| Density /[kg/m^3/] | 70 | 710 | 451 | (Assuming 1/2 in bulkhead) 500 | (Assuming 1/2 in bulkhead) 520 | 1850 |
| Typical Thickness (Inner diameter : thickness ratio) | Use what comes in the kit | For sealing: 20:1 For structure: ~8:1 (e.g. 1/2" bulkhead for 4" rocket) | For sealing: 24:1 For structure: 12-16:1 | For sealing: 30:1 For structure: 12-16:1 | For sealing: 30:1 For structure: 12-16:1 | Not typically used for sealing For structure: 16:1 |
| Notes | Only for estes rockets. | Weak. Good for sealing off areas, but avoid attaching DO NOT attach recovery hardware to MDF if you can. Easy to laser-cut. Definitely reinforce attachment points. | Most common bulkhead material. Cheap, easy to use. Slightly more difficult to laser cut, but worth the extra strength. Standard for HPR. Typically needs reinforcement near attachment points. | Excellent compromise between strength and cost. Not necessary for most HPR flights, good for 4"+ diameter rockets and high-stress flights. If lay-up occurs before machining, be careful when using the waterjet to cut to avoid delamination. | Not RF-transparent. See notes for fiberglass. | Strongest and most expensive. More difficult to machine. Use in dire weight situationsFreaking amazing. |