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ASTM A285 Carbon Steel vs. EN-MC21320 Magnesium

ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while EN-MC21320 magnesium belongs to the magnesium 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 EN-MC21320 magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110 to 130
68
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
45
Elongation at Break, % 30 to 34
7.5
Fatigue Strength, MPa 150 to 180
95
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
18
Shear Strength, MPa 250 to 290
130
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 380 to 450
230
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 190 to 230
140

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
370
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
110
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1470
600
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420 to 1430
530
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
1000
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 53
66
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
26

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.0
17
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.0
91

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.8
12
Density, g/cm3 7.9
1.6
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
23
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 18
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 46
980

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 110
15
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 94 to 150
200
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
15
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
72
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 13 to 16
38
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15 to 17
50
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
40
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 12 to 14
13