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ASTM A321 Carbon Steel vs. AISI 420 Stainless Steel

Both ASTM A321 carbon steel and AISI 420 stainless steel are iron alloys. They have 86% of their average alloy composition in common. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (4, in this case) are not shown.

For each property being compared, the top bar is ASTM A321 carbon steel and the bottom bar is AISI 420 stainless steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 190
190
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
190
Elongation at Break, % 21
8.0 to 15
Fatigue Strength, MPa 270
220 to 670
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
76
Shear Strength, MPa 420
420 to 1010
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 670
690 to 1720
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 390
380 to 1310

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
280
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
620
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1460
1510
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420
1450
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 51
27
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
10

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.1
3.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.1
3.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.8
7.5
Density, g/cm3 7.8
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
2.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 18
28
Embodied Water, L/kg 46
100

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 120
88 to 130
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 400
380 to 4410
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 24
25 to 62
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 22
22 to 41
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
7.3
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 21
25 to 62

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 0 to 0.55
0.15 to 0.4
Chromium (Cr), % 0
12 to 14
Iron (Fe), % 98.1 to 99.25
82.3 to 87.9
Manganese (Mn), % 0.6 to 0.9
0 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0 to 0.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0
0 to 0.75
Phosphorus (P), % 0 to 0.040
0 to 0.040
Silicon (Si), % 0.15 to 0.35
0 to 1.0
Sulfur (S), % 0 to 0.050
0 to 0.030