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ASTM A36 Carbon Steel vs. Graphite

ASTM A36 carbon steel and graphite belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. ASTM A36 carbon steel is a metal, while graphite is a ceramic material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 11 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (24, 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 A36 carbon steel and the bottom bar is graphite.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
21
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 480
18

Thermal Properties

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
220
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 50
6.0
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 11
4.9

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 7.9
1.8

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
6.7
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
53
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 17
2.9
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 17
8.7
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 16
12