In hard solids like metal or concrete or bone, the elastic shearing strain is likely to be less than 1° (1/57 radian). Beyond this shearing strain, materials of this kind will generally either break or else flow in a plastic and irrecoverable way, like butter. However, with materials like rubber or textiles or biological soft tissues, recoverable or elastic shear strains may be much higher than this – perhaps 30° to 40°.
