6081 Aluminum vs. ZK60A Magnesium
6081 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ZK60A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 6081 aluminum and the bottom bar is ZK60A magnesium.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 69 | |
| 46 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 9.0 | |
| 4.5 to 9.9 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 110 | |
| 150 to 180 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.33 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 26 | |
| 18 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 180 | |
| 170 to 190 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 310 | |
| 320 to 330 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 270 | |
| 230 to 250 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 410 | |
| 330 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 160 | |
| 120 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 640 | |
| 600 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 610 | |
| 550 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 960 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 180 | |
| 120 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 23 | |
| 26 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 47 | |
| 29 to 30 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 160 | |
| 140 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 9.5 | |
| 13 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
| 1.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 8.3 | |
| 23 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 150 | |
| 160 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 1180 | |
| 940 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 27 | |
| 14 to 29 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 540 | |
| 570 to 690 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 63 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 32 | |
| 47 to 49 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 37 | |
| 55 to 56 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 74 | |
| 66 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 14 | |
| 19 to 20 |
Alloy Composition
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| Aluminum (Al), % | 96.3 to 98.6 | |
| 0 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 0 to 0.5 | |
| 0 |
| Magnesium (Mg), % | 0.6 to 1.0 | |
| 92.5 to 94.8 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.1 to 0.45 | |
| 0 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.7 to 1.1 | |
| 0 |
| Titanium (Ti), % | 0 to 0.15 | |
| 0 |
| Zinc (Zn), % | 0 to 0.2 | |
| 4.8 to 6.2 |
| Zirconium (Zr), % | 0 | |
| 0.45 to 1.0 |
| Residuals, % | 0 to 0.15 | |
| 0 to 0.3 |