356.0 (SG70A, A03560) Cast Aluminum
356.0 aluminum is an aluminum alloy formulated for casting. 356.0 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. A03560 is the UNS number. Additionally, the SAE designation is 323. And the British Standard (BS) designation is LM25. Older literature may refer to this material as ASTM SG70A, but this is now discouraged.
This material originally entered the market in 1930.
The properties of 356.0 aluminum include six common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare 356.0 aluminum to: ANSI/AA cast aluminums (top), all aluminum alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
55 to 75
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
70 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
2.0 to 3.8 %
Fatigue Strength
55 to 75 MPa 8.0 to 11 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
27 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
140 to 190 MPa 20 to 28 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
160 to 240 MPa 23 to 35 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
100 to 190 MPa 14 to 27 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
500 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
170 °C 340 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
620 °C 1140 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
570 °C 1050 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.3 %
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
150 to 170 W/m-K 87 to 97 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
21 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
40 to 43 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
140 to 150 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Calomel Potential
-730 mV
Density
2.6 g/cm3 160 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
8.0 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
150 MJ/kg 64 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
1110 L/kg 130 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
3.2 to 8.2 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
70 to 250 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
15 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
53 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
17 to 26 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
25 to 33 points
Thermal Diffusivity
64 to 71 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
7.6 to 11 points
Alloy Composition
Among cast aluminum alloys, the composition of 356.0 aluminum is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of silicon (Si). Silicon is used to improve casting fluidity and lower melting temperature. It also has a strengthening effect.
| Al | 90.1 to 93.3 | |
| Si | 6.5 to 7.5 | |
| Mg | 0.2 to 0.45 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.6 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.35 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.35 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.25 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.25 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B618: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Investment Castings
ASTM B108: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Permanent Mold Castings
ASTM B26: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Sand Castings
Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012
ASM Specialty Handbook: Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 1993
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015