Materials

Same size, wildly different weight. Every object in this category is the same 10 × 10 × 10 cm cube — one liter — and nothing but the material changes. It's the purest possible demonstration of density, and it wrecks people's intuition.

One liter of water weighs one kilogram; that's your anchor. The same volume of gold weighs more than nineteen. If you can hold both numbers in your head at once, you understand density better than most people ever will.

Lightest: One liter of aluminium (2.7 kg) · Heaviest: One liter of gold (19 kg)

Materials weights, lightest to heaviest
Object Weight Imperial
One liter of aluminium 2.7 kg 6 lb
One liter of iron 7.9 kg 17 lb
One liter of lead 11 kg 25 lb
One liter of mercury 14 kg 30 lb
One liter of gold 19 kg 43 lb

Materials: frequently asked questions

How much does a liter of gold weigh?

19.3 kg — a cube you could hold in one hand that weighs as much as a loaded toolbox plus a bowling ball. Gold's density is 19.3 g/cm³, nearly twenty times that of water.

Why is lead the classic 'heavy' material?

Because it's the densest metal most people ever handle: one liter of lead weighs 11.34 kg, against 7.87 kg for iron and 2.7 kg for aluminium. But lead isn't even close to the top — a liter of gold outweighs it by 8 kg.

Can you really float a bowling ball on mercury?

Yes. One liter of mercury weighs 13.53 kg, so mercury is denser than a bowling ball, iron, or steel — all of them float on it. Only the truly heavy metals, like lead and gold, sink.

What are the lightest and heaviest materials objects in the game?

The lightest is One liter of aluminium at 2.7 kg (6 lb), the heaviest is One liter of gold at 19 kg (43 lb).

Play the Materials quiz →

Five random materials objects, as often as you like. Or try today's Daily Challenge across all categories.