SAE-AISI 1012 (S12C, G10120) Carbon Steel
SAE-AISI 1012 steel is a carbon (non-alloy) steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1012 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G10120 is the UNS number.
It has a fairly high thermal conductivity among wrought carbon or non-alloy steels. In addition, it has a fairly low electrical conductivity and can have a fairly low tensile strength.
The properties of SAE-AISI 1012 steel include two common variations. This page shows summary ranges across both of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare SAE-AISI 1012 steel to: wrought carbon or non-alloy steels (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
100 to 110
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
21 to 31 %
Fatigue Strength
150 to 230 MPa 22 to 34 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Reduction in Area
45 to 57 %
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
230 to 250 MPa 34 to 37 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
360 to 400 MPa 52 to 59 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
200 to 330 MPa 29 to 49 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
400 °C 750 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1470 °C 2670 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 °C 2600 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
53 W/m-K 31 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
12 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
6.9 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
7.9 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
1.8 % relative
Density
7.9 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.4 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
18 MJ/kg 7.8 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
45 L/kg 5.4 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
80 to 93 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
110 to 300 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
13 to 14 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
14 to 15 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
11 to 13 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 99.16 to 99.6 | |
| Mn | 0.3 to 0.6 | |
| C | 0.1 to 0.15 | |
| S | 0 to 0.050 | |
| P | 0 to 0.040 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
Cold-Formed Steel Structures to the AISI Specification, Gregory J. Hancock et al., 2001
ASTM A29: Standard Specification for Steel Bars, Carbon and Alloy, Hot-Wrought, General Requirements for
Carbon Steel Handbook, D. Gandy, 2007
ASM Specialty Handbook: Carbon and Alloy Steels, J. R. Davis (editor), 1996
Ferrous Materials: Steel and Cast Iron, Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015