MakeItFrom.com
Menu (ESC)

ASTM A572 Steel vs. AZ61A Magnesium

ASTM A572 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while AZ61A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 30 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 A572 steel and the bottom bar is AZ61A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
45
Elongation at Break, % 18 to 25
11
Fatigue Strength, MPa 240 to 340
130
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
17
Shear Strength, MPa 300 to 380
150
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 470 to 620
280
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 330 to 510
170

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
350
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
120
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1460
600
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420
530
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
990
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 51
79
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 13
27

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.2
12
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.2 to 8.3
62

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 2.0
12
Density, g/cm3 7.8
1.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.6
23
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 22
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 47
980

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 100 to 110
27
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 290 to 690
310
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
15
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
69
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 17 to 22
46
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 17 to 21
56
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
47
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14 to 18
17