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AZ91A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI D5 Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI D5 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 25 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (9, 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 AZ91A magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI D5 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 46
190
Elongation at Break, % 5.0
5.4 to 14
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
75
Shear Strength, MPa 140
470 to 1180
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
770 to 2030

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
270
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1430
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1390
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 73
27
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
11

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 10
4.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 52
4.9

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
13
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
3.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
51
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
120

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
28 to 73
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
24 to 46
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
7.4
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
26 to 67

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.4 to 1.6
Chromium (Cr), % 0
11 to 13
Cobalt (Co), % 0
2.5 to 3.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
77.9 to 84.4
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0 to 0.6
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.7 to 1.2
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0 to 0.6
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
0 to 1.0
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0