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SAE-AISI M4 Steel vs. ZK40A Magnesium

SAE-AISI M4 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while ZK40A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (10, 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 SAE-AISI M4 steel and the bottom bar is ZK40A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 200
45
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 76
17
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 770 to 2150
280

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 260
340
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1610
600
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1560
540
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 440
970
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 25
110
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
26

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 25
13
Density, g/cm3 8.3
1.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 14
24
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 210
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 110
950

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 23
65
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 26 to 72
43
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 23 to 45
53
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 6.9
62
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 24 to 68
17

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 1.3 to 1.4
0
Chromium (Cr), % 3.8 to 4.8
0
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.25
0
Iron (Fe), % 75.9 to 81.4
0
Magnesium (Mg), % 0
94.2 to 96.1
Manganese (Mn), % 0.15 to 0.4
0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 4.3 to 5.5
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.3
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0 to 0.030
0
Silicon (Si), % 0.2 to 0.45
0
Sulfur (S), % 0 to 0.030
0
Tungsten (W), % 5.3 to 6.5
0
Vanadium (V), % 3.8 to 4.5
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0
3.5 to 4.5
Zirconium (Zr), % 0
0.45 to 1.0
Residuals, % 0
0 to 0.3