ASTM A572 Grade 55 HSLA Steel
ASTM A572 grade 55 is a type of ASTM A572 steel. Cited properties are appropriate for the as-fabricated (no temper or treatment) condition. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare ASTM A572 grade 55 to: wrought alloy steels in the same category (top), all iron alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
170
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
21 %
Fatigue Strength
300 MPa 43 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
340 MPa 50 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
550 MPa 79 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
430 MPa 62 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
400 °C 750 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1460 °C 2660 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 °C 2590 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
51 W/m-K 30 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
13 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.2 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.2 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
2.0 % relative
Density
7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.6 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
22 MJ/kg 9.3 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
47 L/kg 5.6 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
110 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
490 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
19 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
19 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
16 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 97.4 to 99.5 | |
| Mn | 0.5 to 1.6 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.4 | |
| C | 0 to 0.25 | |
| V | 0 to 0.15 | |
| S | 0 to 0.050 | |
| Nb | 0 to 0.050 | |
| P | 0 to 0.040 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.040 | |
| N | 0 to 0.015 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM A572: Standard Specification for High-Strength Low-Alloy Columbium-Vanadium Structural Steel
Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels and High Performance Alloys, ASM Handbook vol. 1, ASM International, 1993
Manufacture and Uses of Alloy Steels, Henry D. Hibbard, 2005
Ferrous Materials: Steel and Cast Iron, Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015