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AM50A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M6 Steel

AM50A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M6 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 M6 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
77
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
840 to 2210

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1560
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1510
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
440
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 65
17
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
39
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.4
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
8.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
120
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
160

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
28 to 73
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
24 to 45
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 39
4.7
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
26 to 68

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 4.4 to 5.4
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.75 to 0.85
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.8 to 4.5
Cobalt (Co), % 0
11 to 13
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0040
68.8 to 74.6
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.7 to 95.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.26 to 0.6
0.15 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
4.5 to 5.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0
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
3.8 to 4.8
Vanadium (V), % 0
1.3 to 1.7
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0