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AM60A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M50 Steel

AM60A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M50 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 23 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (9, 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 AM60A magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI M50 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
75
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
720 to 2250

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1480
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
1440
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 62
35
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 13
8.7
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 69
10

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
9.0
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
5.1
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
74
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
83

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
26 to 80
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
23 to 49
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
9.7
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
21 to 66

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 5.5 to 6.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.78 to 0.88
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.8 to 4.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.35
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
87 to 90.4
Magnesium (Mg), % 91.8 to 94.4
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.6
0.15 to 0.45
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
3.9 to 4.8
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0.2 to 0.6
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.8 to 1.3
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0