Just how strong is a massive pile of LEGO bricks anyway?

Sure, LEGO bricks are pretty tough and can take plenty of damage, but just how strong is a massive pile of the tiny construction pieces?

When it comes to resilience, LEGO bricks are sturdy little things indeed. The small building elements are made from a variety of different plastic material, including ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene), POM (Polyoxymethylene) and many other substances with scientifically-impressive sounding names.

LEGO bricks are required to have high standards of quality and safety, but also need to be able to hold up to extended play sessions, to repeatedly being attached and pulled apart, and to weather the passage of time. Of course, the colourful elements can only take so much of a pounding before they ultimately give up the ghost, as demonstrated in a recent TikTok video posted by crusher king, hpc_official.

A massive pile of LEGO bricks on top of a grey baseplate was placed under a powerful hydraulic press and large amounts of pressure then applied. The results are fairly dramatic to say the least, with parts flying off in all directions as the full weight of the press pushes down on the pile.

While it’s hard to tell exactly how much damage specific pieces sustained, the results of the test show that at least 122,300 kg of pressure was required to complete the task. Even the LEGO Group was suitably-impressed with the video demonstration, commenting, “We put up a good fight.”

So just remember, the next time you step on a random piece of LEGO you may have had lying around the place, it’s a battle your foot is just never going to win… 

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