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AM50A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M36 Steel

AM50A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M36 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (11, 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 AM50A magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI M36 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
200
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
78
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
810 to 2190

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1600
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1550
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
440
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 65
19
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
38
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.4
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
9.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
140
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
140

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
27 to 72
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
23 to 44
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 39
5.1
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
25 to 68

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 4.4 to 5.4
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.8 to 0.9
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.8 to 4.5
Cobalt (Co), % 0
7.8 to 8.8
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0040
70.1 to 75.5
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.7 to 95.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.26 to 0.6
0.15 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
4.6 to 5.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
0.2 to 0.45
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
5.5 to 6.5
Vanadium (V), % 0
1.8 to 2.3
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0