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AZ61A Magnesium vs. ASTM A217 Cast Steel

AZ61A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ASTM A217 cast steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (5, 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 AZ61A magnesium and the bottom bar is ASTM A217 cast steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 11
21 to 27
Fatigue Strength, MPa 130
200 to 320
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28 to 0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
73 to 75
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 280
540 to 710
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 170
270 to 460

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
250 to 270
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
410 to 600
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1450 to 1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 530
1410 to 1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 79
26 to 50
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 27
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 12
7.3 to 9.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 62
8.4 to 11

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
2.4 to 7.0
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
1.5 to 2.1
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
20 to 28
Embodied Water, L/kg 980
47 to 87

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 27
110 to 130
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 310
190 to 570
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13 to 14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
24 to 25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 46
19 to 25
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 56
19 to 23
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 47
6.9 to 14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 17
16 to 20