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List of Density of Various Substances
Lists of Densities - lists of density of different stuff! and also a list of lists of density
The density of water is 1000Kg/m3 , and other substances are of different densities, some heavier and some lighter than water. To keep things easier, densities are often expressed as "specific gravity", which just means they are expressed as a ratio of the gravity of water. So, water, at 1000/m3 counts as 1 in specific gravity, and here are the densities (expressed as specific gravities) of some other substances:
For example:
Air 0.001225
Xenon Gas 0.006
Expanded Polystyrene Foam 0.015 - 0.1
Cork 0.2 - 0.3
Liquid Ammonia 0.682
Alcohol (Ethanol) 0.789 - also see booze
Oil 0.8
Liquid Nitrogen 0.808
Ice 0.92
Yes, ice is
bigger than water
Water 1.000
Creosote 1.066
Glycerine 1.26
Coal 1.5
Magnesium 1.738
Beryllium 1.85
Concrete 2.4
Glass 2.6
Quartz 2.65
Aluminium 2.7
Basalt rock 3.0
Diamond 3.5
Magnetite 5.0 - 5.2
Zinc 7.1
Steel 7.85 (depending on the blend)
Iron 7.87
Copper 8.92
Silver 10.5
Lead 11.35
Mercury 13.6
Gold 19.3
Platinum 21.4
Osmium 22
etc.
To convert these to pure density measured in kilogrammes per cubic metre, multiply by 1000. So for example, gold is 19.3 times heavier than water (ie it has a specific gravity of 19.3), so it has a density of 19300Kg/m3
It would be good to have something approximating to a Complete List of Densities here, but I've found that so far there are plenty of other sites where they already do this better. So, here's a few such places listed...
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Density
www.iform.com.au/corp/wardrobe/tables.htm
www.vendian.org/envelope/TemporaryURL/mass_volumedensity.html
www.sciencebyjones.com/density_notes.htm
www.apo.nmsu.edu/Telescopes/SDSS/eng.papers/19950926_ConversionFactors/19950926_MProperties.html
www.tesarta.com/www/resources/library/weights.html
www.simetric.co.uk/si_materials.htm
Density is Mass divided by Volume. It's usually measured in kilogrammes per cubic metre. To work out the density of something, divide mass (how much it weighs), by volume (how much space it takes up). How to Measure the Density of an Object. More about this at the page: What is Density?
If you prefer your density in the oldfashioned lb/ft3 (pounds per cubic foot), rather than in Kg/m3 (kilogrammes per cubic metre), divide the figures by 16 (or 16.018 to be more precise). So, for example mercury at 13,600 Kg/m3 works out at 13600/16 = 849lb/ft3
If you're wondering what the density of a helium balloon is, and expecting it to be negative, remember that the fact that helium balloons rise up in air is not because they have a negative weight or negative density, but because their effective lift is buoyancy because of the displacement of AIR. So in effect, balloons of light gas rise as if they had a density of minus that of air. Also see hydrogen versus helium