C12600 Copper vs. SAE-AISI H21 Steel

C12600 copper belongs to the copper alloys classification, while SAE-AISI H21 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (9, in this case) are not shown.

For each property being compared, the top bar is C12600 copper and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI H21 steel.

UNS C12600 Fire-Refined Tough Pitch Copper SAE-AISI H21 (T20821) Tungsten Hot-Work Steel

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		120
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		200

Poisson's Ratio		0.34
Poisson's Ratio		0.29

Shear Modulus, GPa		56
Shear Modulus, GPa		76

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		270
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		720 to 1790

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		210
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		250

Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C		1080
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C		1630

Melting Onset (Solidus), °C		1030
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C		1580

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		390
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		440

Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K		130
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K		27

Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		17
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		11

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative		30
Base Metal Price, % relative		23

Density, g/cm³		8.9
Density, g/cm³		8.5

Embodied Carbon, kg CO₂/kg material		2.6
Embodied Carbon, kg CO₂/kg material		4.5

Embodied Energy, MJ/kg		41
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg		68

Embodied Water, L/kg		310
Embodied Water, L/kg		72

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		7.2
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		13

Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		18
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		23

Strength to Weight: Axial, points		8.2
Strength to Weight: Axial, points		23 to 58

Strength to Weight: Bending, points		10
Strength to Weight: Bending, points		21 to 38

Thermal Diffusivity, mm²/s		39
Thermal Diffusivity, mm²/s		7.1

Thermal Shock Resistance, points		9.5
Thermal Shock Resistance, points		24 to 59

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), %		0
Carbon (C), %		0.28 to 0.36

Chromium (Cr), %		0
Chromium (Cr), %		3.0 to 3.8

Copper (Cu), %		99.5 to 99.8
Copper (Cu), %		0 to 0.25

Iron (Fe), %		0
Iron (Fe), %		87.6 to 93.8

Manganese (Mn), %		0
Manganese (Mn), %		0.15 to 0.4

Nickel (Ni), %		0
Nickel (Ni), %		0 to 0.3

Phosphorus (P), %		0.2 to 0.4
Phosphorus (P), %		0 to 0.030

Silicon (Si), %		0
Silicon (Si), %		0.15 to 0.5

Sulfur (S), %		0
Sulfur (S), %		0 to 0.030

Tungsten (W), %		0
Tungsten (W), %		8.5 to 10

Vanadium (V), %		0
Vanadium (V), %		0.3 to 0.6