ZK60A (MgZn6Zr, M16600) Magnesium
ZK60A magnesium is a magnesium alloy. ZK60A is the ASTM designation for this material. MgZn6Zr is the EN chemical designation. And M16600 is the UNS number.
It can have a fairly high tensile strength among magnesium alloys. In addition, it can have a fairly high electrical conductivity and has a moderately high density.
The properties of ZK60A magnesium include three common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare ZK60A magnesium to other magnesium alloys (top) 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
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
46 GPa 6.6 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
4.5 to 9.9 %
Fatigue Strength
150 to 180 MPa 21 to 26 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
18 GPa 2.6 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
170 to 190 MPa 25 to 28 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
320 to 330 MPa 46 to 48 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
230 to 250 MPa 33 to 37 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
330 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
120 °C 250 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
600 °C 1110 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
550 °C 1020 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
960 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
120 W/m-K 69 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
26 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
29 to 30 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
140 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
13 % relative
Density
1.9 g/cm3 120 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
23 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
160 MJ/kg 70 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
940 L/kg 110 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
14 to 29 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
570 to 690 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
63 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
47 to 49 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
55 to 56 points
Thermal Diffusivity
66 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
19 to 20 points
Alloy Composition
| Mg | 92.5 to 94.8 | |
| Zn | 4.8 to 6.2 | |
| Zr | 0.45 to 1.0 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.3 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B107: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Profiles, Tubes, and Wire
Advances in Wrought Magnesium Alloys: Fundamentals of Processing, Properties and Applications, Colleen Bettles and Matthew Barnett (editors), 2012
ASTM B91: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Forgings
Essential Readings in Magnesium Technology, Suveen N. Mathaudhu et al. (editors), 2014
Environmental Degradation of Advanced and Traditional Engineering Materials, Lloyd H. Hihara et al., 2014.
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993