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ASTM A285 Carbon Steel vs. 7049 Aluminum

ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while 7049 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 7049 aluminum.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110 to 130
140
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
70
Elongation at Break, % 30 to 34
6.2 to 7.0
Fatigue Strength, MPa 150 to 180
160 to 170
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.32
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
27
Shear Strength, MPa 250 to 290
300 to 310
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 380 to 450
510 to 530
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 190 to 230
420 to 450

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
370
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
180
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1470
640
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420 to 1430
480
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
860
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 53
130
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
23

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.0
36
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.0
110

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.8
10
Density, g/cm3 7.9
3.1
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
8.1
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 18
140
Embodied Water, L/kg 46
1110

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 110
31 to 34
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 94 to 150
1270 to 1440
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
45
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 13 to 16
46 to 47
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15 to 17
46 to 47
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
51
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 12 to 14
22 to 23