Glossary

Ultimate Tensile Strength

The maximum force that can be applied to a material before it fails/breaks. This term is commonly shortened to just “tensile strength”. This is higher than the Yield Tensile Strength (see separate glossary entry). Tensile Strength is commonly measured in the United States as pound force per square inch (lbf/in² or PSI) or kilo-pounds per square inch (ksi or KPSI).

Yield Tensile Strength

The force required for a material to reach a formable state so that a permanent new shape can be achieved. This is lower than the Ultimate Tensile Strength (see separate glossary entry). Tensile Strength is commonly measured in the United States as “pound force per square inch” (lbf/in² or PSI) or kilo-pounds per square inch (ksi or KPSI).