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AZ91D Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M3 Class 1 Steel

AZ91D magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M3 class 1 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (14, 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 AZ91D magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI M3 class 1 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
77
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 160 to 220
770 to 2150

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1610
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 490
1570
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
440
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 78
26
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 27
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
25
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.3
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
10
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
150
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
100

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 26 to 34
26 to 72
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 38 to 46
22 to 44
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 45
7.2
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 9.5 to 13
24 to 67

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.0 to 1.1
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.8 to 4.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0050
76.9 to 82.9
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.7 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.15 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
4.8 to 6.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
0.2 to 0.45
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
5.0 to 6.8
Vanadium (V), % 0
2.3 to 2.8
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0