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5042 Aluminum vs. ASTM A372 Grade D Steel

5042 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade D steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 30 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 5042 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A372 grade D steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 68
190
Elongation at Break, % 1.1 to 3.4
17
Fatigue Strength, MPa 97 to 120
340
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Shear Strength, MPa 200
500
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 340 to 360
810
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 270 to 310
510

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 180
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 130
51
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 24
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 33
7.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 110
8.3

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
2.1
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.8
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
20
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
48

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 3.6 to 12
120
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 550 to 720
700
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35 to 37
29
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 40 to 42
25
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 53
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 15 to 16
26

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 94.2 to 96.8
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.4 to 0.5
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
0
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.15
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.35
97.1 to 97.9
Magnesium (Mg), % 3.0 to 4.0
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.2 to 0.5
1.4 to 1.8
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.17 to 0.27
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.2
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.010
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.1
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.25
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0