The selection of a material for a specific application is almost always a thorough, lengthy, and expensive investigation. Almost always, more than one material is a possible candidate, and the final selection is a compromise that weighs the relative advantages and disadvantages of all candidates. Service requirements such as toughness, adequate strength, dimensional stability, scratch resistance, heat resistance, non-toxicity, corrosion resistance, etc.; manufacturing requirements like formability, moldability, machinability, etc.; and various economic and market requirements should be met before finally choosing a material.

For an intelligent judgement or compromise in finally selecting a material, a thorough understanding of all materials and their various properties is required. No doubt there are thousands of books written on individual materials, processes, and their properties, but going through all of them for a quick reference in order to find the right material becomes a tedious and time-consuming process.