Is Spider Silk Really Stronger Than Steel?

Is Spider Silk stronger than Steel?

You probably heard that spider silk is stronger than steel, it's technically true but that is not the whole truth.

Spider have 7 main silk types but we are going to be focused on 3 types Dragline Silk, Flagelliform Silk and Minor Ampullate Silk. Dragline silk is for the main outer circle of spider webs and the center lines where is is tough and rigid while Flagelliform Silk is sticky and elastic and can expand up to 2-4 times its length and it is designed to capture flying insects. Minor Ampullate Silk is used for temporary scaffolding spirals and web reinforcement during construction

Strength is measured in different ways. Spider silk is stronger than steel in tensile strength which measures the amount of strength a material is able to withstand before breaking. Spider silk is stronger because steel is 6 times denser than the silk.

According to Treehugger, it has been suggested than a pencil-width strand could stop a Boeing 747 in flight, But the Darwins Bark Spider of Madagascar can stretch its silk for up to 82 ft. (25 meters) forming the largest known spider webs. And spider silk is almost as strong as Kevlar the material used for making bulletproof vests.