Shear Modulus Calculator

Work out shear modulus instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Shear Modulus Calculator

Shear modulus is shear stress over shear strain, where shear strain is the angular distortion in radians. 80 MPa over 0.001 gives 80 GPa, which is what steel shows. Shear modulus relates to Young's modulus through G = E/(2(1+nu)), so for steel it lands around 40% of E.

Formulas

Shear modulus

G = shear stress / shear strain

Elastic constants

G = E / (2(1 + nu))

Worked example

With the default values below, Shear Modulus Calculator returns Shear Modulus of 80.000. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Shear stressminimum 0 MPa: 80 MPa
Shear strainminimum 0: 0.001

Results

Shear Modulus: 80.000 GPa
Same Modulus In Pascals: 8.0000 × 10¹⁰
Poisson's Ratio Implied For E = 210 GPa: 0.3125
Shear Distortion Angle: 0.0573 deg

Step by step

1Values used
2Shear modulus
3Elastic constants
4Shear Modulus= 80.000 GPa
5Same Modulus In Pascals= 80,000,000,000.0000
6Poisson's Ratio Implied For E = 210 GPa= 0.3125
7Shear Distortion Angle= 0.0573 deg

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is shear modulus smaller than Young's modulus?

Because atoms resist sliding past one another less than they resist being pulled apart. For most metals G is about 0.38 of E.

What is shear strain physically?

The angle a right angle is distorted through, measured in radians. A strain of 0.001 tilts the face by about 0.057 degrees.