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ASTM A204 Molybdenum Steel

ASTM A204 steel is an alloy steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. It has a fairly high thermal conductivity among wrought alloy steels in the same category. In addition, it has a moderately low embodied energy and a moderately low electrical conductivity.

The properties of ASTM A204 steel include three 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 ASTM A204 steel to: wrought alloy steels in the same category (top), all iron 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

160 to 180

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

190 GPa 27 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

18 to 22 %

Fatigue Strength

200 to 220 MPa 29 to 32 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

73 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

330 to 360 MPa 47 to 53 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

520 to 590 MPa 75 to 85 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

290 to 330 MPa 41 to 48 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

250 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

410 °C 760 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1470 °C 2670 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1420 to 1430 °C 2600 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

52 W/m-K 30 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

13 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

7.2 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

8.2 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

2.4 % relative

Density

7.9 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

1.5 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

20 MJ/kg 8.6 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

47 L/kg 5.6 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

90 to 95 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

220 to 290 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

18 to 21 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

18 to 20 points

Thermal Diffusivity

14 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

15 to 17 points

Followup Questions

Further Reading

ASTM A204: Standard Specification for Pressure Vessel Plates, Alloy Steel, Molybdenum

Pressure Vessels: External Pressure Technology, 2nd ed., Carl T. F. Ross, 2011

Manufacture and Uses of Alloy Steels, Henry D. Hibbard, 2005

Ferrous Materials: Steel and Cast Iron, Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008

Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015