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A356.0 Aluminum vs. ASTM A209 Steel

A356.0 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A209 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (4, 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 A356.0 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A209 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 70
190
Elongation at Break, % 3.0 to 6.0
34
Fatigue Strength, MPa 50 to 90
180 to 200
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 160 to 270
420 to 460
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 83 to 200
220 to 250

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 500
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 170
410
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 610
1470
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1420 to 1430
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
50
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 21
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 40
7.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 140
8.1 to 8.2

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
2.4
Density, g/cm3 2.6
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.0
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
20
Embodied Water, L/kg 1110
47

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 4.8 to 15
120 to 130
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 49 to 300
130 to 170
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 53
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 17 to 29
15 to 16
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 25 to 36
16 to 17
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 64
13
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 7.6 to 13
12 to 14