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6081 Aluminum vs. ASTM A285 Carbon Steel

6081 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A285 carbon 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 6081 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A285 carbon steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 69
190
Elongation at Break, % 9.0
30 to 34
Fatigue Strength, MPa 110
150 to 180
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Shear Strength, MPa 180
250 to 290
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 310
380 to 450
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 270
190 to 230

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 410
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 160
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1470
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 610
1420 to 1430
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 180
53
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 47
7.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 160
8.0

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
1.8
Density, g/cm3 2.7
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 27
110
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 540
94 to 150
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 32
13 to 16
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 37
15 to 17
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 74
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
12 to 14