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6081 Aluminum vs. SAE-AISI H26 Steel

6081 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while SAE-AISI H26 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (10, 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 SAE-AISI H26 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 69
210
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
80
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 310
720 to 2100

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 410
240
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1810
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 610
1760
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
410
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 180
22
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
45
Density, g/cm3 2.7
9.3
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.3
8.1
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
120
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
90

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
12
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
21
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 32
22 to 63
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 37
19 to 39
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 74
5.6
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
22 to 63

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 96.3 to 98.6
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.45 to 0.55
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
3.8 to 4.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.5
73.3 to 77.5
Magnesium (Mg), % 0.6 to 1.0
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.1 to 0.45
0.15 to 0.4
Nickel (Ni), % 0
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0.7 to 1.1
0.15 to 0.4
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.15
0
Tungsten (W), % 0
17.3 to 19
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.75 to 1.3
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.2
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0