Which property of a spring defines how much it deflects under a given load?

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The key idea is that how much a spring moves for a given load is set by its stiffness, captured by the spring rate. The relationship F = k x shows that the force required to produce a displacement x is proportional to x with k as the constant of proportionality. For a fixed load, the deflection is x = F / k. So a higher spring rate (stiffer spring) means less deflection, while a lower spring rate means more deflection. The term used to describe this specific stiffness value in springs is spring rate, which is why it’s the best answer. Damping is about energy loss and oscillations, deflection is the movement itself, and stiffness is the general idea of resistance to deformation, but the precise property that defines deflection under load is the spring rate.