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3004 Aluminum vs. ASTM A285 Carbon Steel

3004 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (1, 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 3004 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A285 carbon steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 45 to 83
110 to 130
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 70
190
Elongation at Break, % 1.1 to 19
30 to 34
Fatigue Strength, MPa 55 to 120
150 to 180
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Shear Strength, MPa 100 to 180
250 to 290
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 170 to 310
380 to 450
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 68 to 270
190 to 230

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 180
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 650
1470
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 630
1420 to 1430
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 160
53
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 24
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 42
7.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 140
8.0

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
1.8
Density, g/cm3 2.8
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.3
1.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
18
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
46

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 3.2 to 27
110
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 33 to 540
94 to 150
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 18 to 31
13 to 16
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 25 to 37
15 to 17
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 65
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 7.6 to 13
12 to 14