formability

6.0

A material quality that lets you shape it without breaking, like metal or plastic

noun
/fɔːrˈmæbɪlɪti/

Specialized

: formabilidad

Good formability in a material ensures that it can be formed into complex shapes without cracking.

Examples

Engineers often test the formability of plastics to ensure they can be molded without defects.
Evidence shows that formability increases with temperature; as temperature rises, the penalty of smaller available processing time is overcompensated by a simultaneous drop in viscosity.

Academic text (2012)
The metal's high formability allows it to be easily shaped into various components.

Synonyms

malleability

vsformability

Specialized

2 7.4

The ability of a metal to be shaped by hammering or pressure without cracking

is the general capacity to be shaped not limited to hammering

plasticity

vsformability

Specialized

1 6.1

Easy to shape or bend without breaking

is broader, meaning general ability to be shaped not only molded

ductility

vsformability

Specialized

1 8.0

A metal that stretches into thin wire or forms thin sheets without breaking

is broader, meaning general shaping ability not only drawing or thinning

pliability

vsformability

6.0

Easy to bend or shape without breaking

is the ability to be shaped without focusing on ease

moldability

vsformability

Specialized

5.8

The quality of a material that allows it to be shaped easily

is the ability to be shaped without stressing ease or quickness

deformability

vsformability

Specialized

7.3

How easily a material like rubber changes shape without breaking

is about purposeful shaping ability rather than any uncontrolled change

How Formable

malleability

Specialized

2 7.4

formability

Specialized

6.0

brittleness

1 5.4

rigidity

Specialized

3 6.0

Surface Forms

formability singular

formabilities plural

Morphology

formability = formable (transparent) = form + able + ity

A regular nominalization of the adjective 'formable' with '-ity', yielding the predictable meaning 'the quality or state of being formable'.

Etymology

The word formability is made from form, which means 'shape', and -ability, which means 'the ability to do something'. So formability is the 'ability to take a shape', which is why engineers test a material's formability to see if it can be shaped without breaking.