A356.0 (SG70B, A13560) Cast Aluminum
A356.0 aluminum is an aluminum alloy formulated for casting. A356.0 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. A13560 is the UNS number. Additionally, the SAE designation is 336. And the AFNOR (French) designation is A-S7G. Older literature may refer to this material as SG70B, but this is now discouraged.
This material originally entered the market in 1955.
The properties of A356.0 aluminum include five 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 A356.0 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
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
70 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
3.0 to 6.0 %
Fatigue Strength
50 to 90 MPa 7.2 to 13 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
160 to 270 MPa 23 to 39 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
83 to 200 MPa 12 to 30 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
500 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
170 °C 340 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
610 °C 1130 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
570 °C 1060 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.3 %
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
150 W/m-K 87 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
21 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
40 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
140 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
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)
4.8 to 15 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
49 to 300 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
15 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
53 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
17 to 29 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
25 to 36 points
Thermal Diffusivity
64 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
7.6 to 13 points
Alloy Composition
Among cast aluminum alloys, the composition of A356.0 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 | 91.1 to 93.3 | |
| Si | 6.5 to 7.5 | |
| Mg | 0.25 to 0.45 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B686: Standard Specification for Aluminum Alloy Castings, High-Strength
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
Handbook of Aluminum vol. 2: Alloy Production and Materials Manufacturing, George Totten and D. Scott MacKenzie (editors), 2003
Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993