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238.0 Aluminum vs. ASTM A372 Grade A Steel

238.0 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade A steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (2, in this case) are not shown. 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 238.0 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A372 grade A steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 76
190
Elongation at Break, % 1.5
22
Fatigue Strength, MPa 110
190
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 28
73
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
500
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 170
270

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 430
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 170
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 510
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 840
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 100
52
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 21
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 25
7.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 67
8.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
1.8
Density, g/cm3 3.4
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 7.4
1.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 140
18
Embodied Water, L/kg 1040
45

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 2.9
95
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 180
200
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 12
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 42
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 17
18
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 23
18
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 9.1
16

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 81.9 to 84.9
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.3
Copper (Cu), % 9.5 to 10.5
0
Iron (Fe), % 1.0 to 1.5
98.3 to 99.85
Magnesium (Mg), % 0 to 0.25
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0
0 to 1.0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 3.6 to 4.4
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.010
Zinc (Zn), % 1.0 to 1.5
0