Poisson's Ratio Calculator

Calculate the ratio of transverse strain to axial strain for a material.

Material Strains/Moduli

Input Method

Axial Strain (εa)

Transverse Strain (εt)

Calculation Results

Enter strain or moduli values

About this calculator

Overview

Poisson's ratio (ν) is a measure of the Poisson effect, where a material tends to expand in directions perpendicular to the direction of compression.

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Pro Tips

Most materials have a Poisson's ratio between 0.0 and 0.5.
A value of 0.5 represents a perfectly incompressible material (like rubber).
Negative Poisson's ratio materials (Auxetics) exist but are rare and often artificial.

Fun Facts

"Cork has a Poisson's ratio near zero, which is why it's used for wine stoppers (it doesn't expand sideways when jammed into the bottle)."
"Poisson's ratio is named after the French mathematician Siméon Poisson."
"The value 0.5 is the theoretical limit for isotropic materials; higher values would imply the material shrinks in volume when stretched."

Formula: ν = -ε_trans / ε_axial