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AM60A Magnesium vs. ASTM A372 Grade A Steel

AM60A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade A steel belongs to the iron alloys. 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 AM60A magnesium and the bottom bar is ASTM A372 grade A steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 62
140
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 8.8
22
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70
190
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
73
Shear Strength, MPa 130
320
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
500
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 130
270

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 62
52
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 13
7.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 69
8.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
1.8
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
1.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
18
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
45

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 17
95
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 190
200
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
18
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
18
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
16

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 5.5 to 6.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.3
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.35
0
Iron (Fe), % 0
98.3 to 99.85
Magnesium (Mg), % 91.8 to 94.4
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.6
0 to 1.0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.010
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0