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AZ91A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M48 Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M48 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 19 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (15, 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 M48 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 46
200
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
78
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
890 to 2390

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1670
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1620
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
420
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
48
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
13
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
190
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
160

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
22
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
28 to 76
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
23 to 45
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
26 to 71

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.4 to 1.5
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.5 to 4.0
Cobalt (Co), % 0
8.0 to 10
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
63.8 to 69.8
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
4.8 to 5.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.4
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
9.5 to 10.5
Vanadium (V), % 0
2.8 to 3.3
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0