This book will be a single-source, easy-to-use reference work for machinists and fabricators on the principal characteristics and uses for major common types of metals, composites, and plastics. It provides the key physical characteristics and mechanical characteristics, along with important considerations when machining and processing and fabricating with these materials.

• Covers some 600 specific materials, categorized into metals, plastics, wood products, and composites.
  
• For each material entry, the book offers such essential parameters as chemical composition, mass, hardness, yield strength, melting point, and electrical and thermal conductivity.
  
• Provides typical uses for each material cited.
  
• Entries will be cross-indexed by both trade and generic names, including common industry names used for alloys of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.