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1050A Aluminum vs. ASTM A372 Grade A Steel

1050A aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade A steel belongs to the iron alloys. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is 1050A aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A372 grade A steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 20 to 45
140
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 68
190
Elongation at Break, % 1.1 to 33
22
Fatigue Strength, MPa 22 to 55
190
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Shear Strength, MPa 44 to 97
320
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 68 to 170
500
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 22 to 150
270

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 170
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 660
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 650
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 230
52
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 24
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 59
7.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 200
8.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.0
1.8
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.2
1.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
18
Embodied Water, L/kg 1200
45

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 1.9 to 19
95
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 3.7 to 160
200
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 6.9 to 18
18
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 14 to 25
18
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 94
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 3.0 to 7.6
16

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 99.5 to 100
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.3
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.050
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.4
98.3 to 99.85
Magnesium (Mg), % 0 to 0.050
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0 to 0.050
0 to 1.0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.25
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.010
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.050
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.070
0