CINDAS

What CINDAS does

CINDAS LLC is a privately held specialty data company headquartered in West Lafayette, Indiana, that provides critically evaluated materials properties databases to engineering and research organizations worldwide. The company traces its origins to materials property data work at Purdue University dating back to 1986 and was formally established as CINDAS LLC in 2003; the CINDAS name is used under license from Purdue Research Foundation. Its core product is a suite of eight web-based databases and handbooks covering aerospace structural metals (ASMD), aerospace and high performance alloys (AHAD), high performance alloys for oil and gas and power generation (HPAD), cryogenic and low temperature materials (CLTD, 2,000+ materials), microelectronics and composite materials (MCMD, 1,527+ materials with 32,875+ curves), thermophysical properties (TPMD), and two structural design handbooks (DTDH and SAH). Data is authored and critically evaluated by credentialed subject-matter experts from Purdue, Arconic/Alcoa, NASA, and industry, and is delivered through web-based applications with interactive graphing, multi-material comparison, unit conversion, and export to JPG/PNG/PDF.

CINDAS generates revenue primarily through annual and multi-year subscription licenses sold directly to enterprise and institutional customers via its website, with multi-user license agreements enabling organization-wide access. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is a consultative enterprise sales motion supplemented by free product demos, training webinars, a quarterly newsletter (22 volumes since July 2014), LinkedIn and YouTube channels, and resources including brochures and alloy sheets. The customer base spans aerospace manufacturers and their supply chains, oil and gas / chemical processing / power generation operators, microelectronics and advanced composites firms, university libraries and research institutions, and government and defense research centers. Strategic distribution is direct-only with no resellers or channel partners, supported by international sales with export documentation. CINDAS maintains a steady cadence of major product updates (one to two per database per year) and has expanded its addressable market through new databases (CLTD in 2021, MCMD in 2022) and ongoing additions of advanced materials including additively manufactured alloys, high entropy alloys, and 3D printed ceramics.

Name

CINDAS

Legal name

CINDAS LLC

Website

https://cindasdata.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CINDAS LLC provides critically evaluated, expert-authored web-based materials property databases and handbooks for aerospace, energy, microelectronics, and academic customers. Revenue comes from multi-year subscription licenses sold direct to enterprise and institutional buyers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Materials Property Databases

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace Structural Metals & Alloys (Titanium, Aluminum, Nickel) (IMABANAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerospace Thermal Management, Insulation & Fire Protection Materials (IMABANAE), Aerospace Interior Materials & Components (Cabin) (IMABANAI)

Keywords

• Materials property databases
• Engineering reference data
• Aerospace alloy data
• Thermophysical properties
• Structural materials handbooks

Headquarters

HQ city

West Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Database Subscriptions: CINDAS generates revenue primarily through annual or multi-year subscription licenses to its web-based materials properties databases. The company offers multi-user license agreements allowing organizations to provide access to multiple users within their organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CINDAS provides critically evaluated materials properties databases and supporting web-based applications for engineering and scientific use. Its offerings span aerospace structural metals, high-performance alloys, cryogenic and low-temperature materials, microelectronics and composites, and thermophysical properties of matter, complemented by specialized design handbooks.

Product overview

CINDAS LLC provides a suite of eight critically evaluated materials properties databases and handbooks delivered through web-based applications. The portfolio includes: ASMD (Aerospace Structural Metals Database), the industry benchmark for aerospace alloys; AHAD (Aerospace and High Performance Alloys Database), which combines ASMD and HPAD data; HPAD (High Performance Alloys Database) for oil/gas, chemical processing, and power generation industries; CLTD (Cryogenic and Low Temperatures Database) for cryogenic applications; MCMD (Microelectronics and Composite Materials Database), an expanded version of MPMD for microelectronics and composites; TPMD (Thermophysical Properties of Matter Database) for comprehensive thermophysical data; and two handbooks (DTDH and SAH). All products feature web-based searching, interactive graphing, unit conversion, and data export capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aerospace Structural Metals Database (ASMD) Critically evaluated materials property database focused on structural metals used in aerospace engineering applications. Targets design engineers, materials engineers, and analysts in aerospace and defense organizations.
• Aerospace and High Performance Alloys Database (AHAD) Database of aerospace alloys and high-performance alloy property data for advanced engineering design and analysis. Used by aerospace, power generation, and chemical processing engineers.
• High Performance Alloys Database (HPAD) Critically evaluated database of high-performance alloy property data for engineering applications requiring elevated strength, temperature, or corrosion resistance.
• Cryogenic and Low Temperatures Database (CLTD) Materials property database covering the behavior of engineering materials at cryogenic and low temperatures. Used for design and qualification of equipment operating in low-temperature service.
• Microelectronics and Composite Materials Database (MCMD) Database covering microelectronics materials and composite materials property data for electronics, semiconductor, and advanced structural applications.
• Thermophysical Properties of Matter Database (TPMD) Critically evaluated database of thermophysical properties of matter used for thermal analysis, heat transfer, and process engineering calculations across scientific and engineering domains.
• Damage Tolerant Design Handbook (DTDH) Reference handbook providing data and methodology to support damage tolerant design of structural components, primarily used by aerospace and safety-critical structural engineers.
• Structural Alloys Handbook (SAH) Reference handbook compiling structural alloy property data and engineering guidance, used by materials and design engineers selecting and qualifying structural alloys.

Quantifiable outcome

• Subscribers cut costs associated with in-house testing and time consuming data mining

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• World ScientificminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2013CINDAS LLC contributes data from its Microelectronics Packaging Materials Database (MPMD) to the Encyclopedia of Thermal Packaging published by World Scientific. This collaboration allows World Scientific to populate formulas within the encyclopedia using CINDAS's authoritative materials data, while CINDAS gains visibility in the academic and research publishing community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• MakeItFrom: MakeItFrom is a free online database of material properties for metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites, focused on comparison and selection. While more limited in scope and interactivity than CINDAS's offering, it targets the same materials selection use case for engineers and serves as a partial substitute.

Broad incumbents

• S&P Global Commodity Insights: S&P Global (including legacy IHS Markit engineering standards and specifications data) sells broad engineering and industrial reference data subscriptions to enterprise customers. It does not specialize in evaluated materials properties like CINDAS but competes for the same procurement budgets within large engineering organizations.

Direct peers

• ASM International: ASM International is the professional society that publishes the canonical ASM Handbook series of materials data references, including mechanical properties, fatigue data, and metallurgical information. Its handbooks and data products overlap directly with CINDAS's evaluated databases for aerospace and structural alloys.
• Key to Metals: Key to Metals (operated by the same group as Total Materia) provides subscription access to a large database of metals properties, including alloys and their mechanical, physical, and chemical properties. It targets similar industrial engineering and materials selection use cases as CINDAS HPAD and AHAD.
• Ansys (Granta MI): Ansys Granta MI is the most direct competitor to CINDAS, providing enterprise materials information management software and curated materials property databases for engineering organizations across aerospace, automotive, and industrial sectors. Both companies sell evaluated materials property data and tooling to engineering teams for materials selection and CAE workflows.
• Total Materia: Total Materia operates one of the world's largest materials properties databases, offering subscription access to evaluated mechanical, physical, and chemical properties for metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites. It directly competes with CINDAS ASMD, AHAD, HPAD, and TPMD by serving the same engineering design and materials selection workflows.
• Matmatch: Matmatch is an online materials database and selection platform that helps engineers find and compare material properties, with supplier integration. It competes with CINDAS by offering digital materials search, comparison, and property data aimed at engineering and product design teams.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgLCWIWl7MHmgHsSbAyFOkQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cindas-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CINDAS