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ASTM A285 Carbon Steel vs. 1050A Aluminum

ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while 1050A aluminum belongs to the aluminum 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 ASTM A285 carbon steel and the bottom bar is 1050A aluminum.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110 to 130
20 to 45
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
68
Elongation at Break, % 30 to 34
1.1 to 33
Fatigue Strength, MPa 150 to 180
22 to 55
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.33
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
26
Shear Strength, MPa 250 to 290
44 to 97
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 380 to 450
68 to 170
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 190 to 230
22 to 150

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
400
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
170
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1470
660
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420 to 1430
650
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
900
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 53
230
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
24

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.0
59
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.0
200

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.8
9.0
Density, g/cm3 7.9
2.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
8.2
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 18
150
Embodied Water, L/kg 46
1200

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 110
1.9 to 19
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 94 to 150
3.7 to 160
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
50
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 13 to 16
6.9 to 18
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15 to 17
14 to 25
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
94
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 12 to 14
3.0 to 7.6