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ASTM A285 Carbon Steel vs. AZ81A Magnesium

ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while AZ81A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (2, 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 ASTM A285 carbon steel and the bottom bar is AZ81A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110 to 130
55
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
46
Elongation at Break, % 30 to 34
3.0 to 8.8
Fatigue Strength, MPa 150 to 180
78 to 80
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
18
Shear Strength, MPa 250 to 290
91 to 130
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 380 to 450
160 to 240
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 190 to 230
84

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
350
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
130
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1470
600
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420 to 1430
500
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
990
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 53
84
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
27

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.0
12
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.0
65

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.8
12
Density, g/cm3 7.9
1.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
23
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 18
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 46
990

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 110
4.0 to 17
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 94 to 150
77 to 78
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
15
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
70
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 13 to 16
26 to 39
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15 to 17
38 to 50
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
50
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 12 to 14
9.1 to 14