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AS41A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI L6 Steel

AS41A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI L6 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 23 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (7, 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 AS41A magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI L6 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 17
72
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
670 to 2090

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 370
250
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1450
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1410
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 68
42
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
11

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 17
7.6
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 92
8.7

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
3.6
Density, g/cm3 1.6
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
2.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
28
Embodied Water, L/kg 980
54

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 72
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
24 to 74
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 50
22 to 46
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 41
11
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
22 to 70

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 3.5 to 5.0
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.65 to 0.75
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.6 to 1.2
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.060
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
93.6 to 97.3
Magnesium (Mg), % 92.8 to 95.8
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.2 to 0.5
0.25 to 0.8
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0 to 0.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
1.3 to 2.0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0.5 to 1.5
0 to 0.5
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
0 to 0.3
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.12
0