Specific Gravity

Specific gravity, abbreviated as SG, a dimensionless number, is the density or ratio of any substance to another substance.  It sometimes may be called just gravity or relative density.  When calculating the specific gravity of a liquid or solid, water is normally the comparison (water has a specific gravity of 1).

Even though two objects are the same size, their density may be different. This is expressed in how much more weight the object is in comparison to the same amount of water.  Likewise a gas is compared to air.

 

Specific Gravity of Materials formula

\(\large{ SG = \frac{ \rho_s }{ \rho_w  } }\)
\(\large{ SG = \frac{ MW }{ 29 } }\)	(gases)

Where:

\(\large{ SG }\) = specific gravity of material (water = 1)

\(\large{ \rho_a }\)  (Greek symbol rho) = density of air (weight molecule (molar mass) of air is 28.966)

\(\large{ \rho_s }\)  (Greek symbol rho) = density of sample

\(\large{ \rho_w }\)  (Greek symbol rho) = density of water

\(\large{ MW }\) =  molecular weight of sample

 

Specific Gravity Related Articles

• See specific gravity of soil

 

Specific Gravity conversion table

• This is a Density Conversion

Specific Gravity Conversion Table
Multiply	By	To Get
	436995.7259	grain per cubic foot
	252.8910451	grain per cubic inch
	1	gram per cubic centimeter
	1e+15	gram per cubic kilometer
	1000000	gram per cubic meter
	0.001	gram per cubic millimeter
	1000000	gram per kiloliter
	1000	gram per liter
	1	gram per milliliter
	0.001	kilogram per cubic centimeter
	1e+12	kilogram per cubic kilometer
	1000	kilogram per cubic meter
	1e-15	kilogram per cubic micrometer
	0.000001	kilogram per cubic millimeter
	998.8473734	ounce per cubic foot
	0.578036674	ounce per cubic inch
	62.42796084	pound per cubic foot
	0.036127292	pound per cubic inch
	1	standard conditions
	1	specific gravity, water

 

Specific Gravity of materials Table

Material	Specific Gravity (Dimensionless)
Acetylene	0.0017
Air, dry	0.0013
Alcohol	0.82
Aluminium	2.70
Aluminium Alloy 356.0	2.68
Aluminium Alloy 360.0	2.68
Aluminium Alloy 364.0	2.63
Ammonia Vapor	0.60
Antimony	6.68
Balsa Wood	0.2
Barium	3.62
Barium sulfate	4.5
Boron	2.34
Brass	8.48
Cadmium	8.58
Calcium sulfate	2.96
Carbon	2.26
Carbon dioxide	0.00198
Carbon monoxide	0.00126
Cast iron	7.20
Caustic potash	2-044
Cement	3.15
Cerium	6.77
Cesium	1.873
Chromium	7.03
Citric acid	1.665
Clay	2.6
Copper	8.96
Depleted uranium	19.1
Diesel fuel	0.84
Epoxy resin	1.8 - 2.0
Ethanol	0.78
Gasoline	0.70 - 0.76
Glass	2.40 - 2.70
Gold	19.30
Grease	0.92 - 0.94
Hematite	5.26
Hydrogen	0.00009
Iron	7.87
Lead	11.35
Limestone	2.8
Melamine	1.8 - 2.0
Mercury	13.56
Natural Gas	0.59
Nickel	8.9
Nylon	1.12
Oak wood	0.75
Osmium	22.59
Oxygen	0.00143
Parrafin	0.80
Petrol (gasoline)	0.72
Phenolic	1.75 - 1.95
Platinum	21.5
Polyester	1.35 - 2.3
Polyurethane	1.11 - 1.25
Propane gas	1.55
PVC	1.36
Pyrite	5.02
Quartz	2.65
Rubber	0.96
Salt	2.165
Silicon	2.33
Soda ash	2.53
Sodium bicarbonate	2.16
Sodium sulfite	2.63
Steel, carbon	7.82
Steel, cold drawn	7.83
Steel, machine	7.80
Strontium	2.64
Sulfur	2.07
Table Salt	2.17
Tantalum	16.69
Tellurium	6.24
Terbium	8.27
Thallium	11.85
Thulium	9.32
Tin, pure	7.28
Titanium	4.506
Titanium, dioxide, Anatase	3.77
Tungsten	19.25
Tungsten, carbide	14.29
Uranium	18.7
Water	1
Water, sea salt	1.027
Ytterbium	6.97
Yttrium	4.47
Zinc	7.12
Zirconium	6.506
Zirconium silicate	3.85