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EN 1.3538 (100CrMo7-4) Through-Hardening Bearing Steel

EN 1.3538 steel is an alloy steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1.3538 is the EN numeric designation for this material. 100CrMo7-4 is the EN chemical designation.

It has a moderately low melting temperature among EN wrought alloy steels. In addition, it has a moderately high base cost and a moderately low thermal conductivity.

The properties of EN 1.3538 steel include two common variations. This page shows summary ranges across both of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare EN 1.3538 steel to: EN wrought alloy steels (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

200 to 220

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

190 GPa 27 x 106 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

73 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

670 to 740 MPa 97 to 110 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

250 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

440 °C 830 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1450 °C 2640 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1410 °C 2570 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

41 W/m-K 24 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

13 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

7.4 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

8.5 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

3.0 % relative

Density

7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

1.6 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

21 MJ/kg 9.2 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

56 L/kg 6.6 gal/lb

Common Calculations

PREN (Pitting Resistance)

3.3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

24 to 26 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

22 to 23 points

Thermal Diffusivity

11 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

20 to 22 points

Alloy Composition

Among alloy steels, the composition of EN 1.3538 steel is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of carbon (C). Carbon is used to increase strength at the cost of a decrease in formability.

Iron (Fe)Fe 96 to 97.2
Chromium (Cr)Cr 1.7 to 2.0
Carbon (C)C 0.93 to 1.1
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0.6 to 0.8
Molybdenum (Mo)Mo 0.4 to 0.5
Silicon (Si)Si 0.15 to 0.35
Copper (Cu)Cu 0 to 0.3
Aluminum (Al)Al 0 to 0.050
Sulfur (S)S 0 to 0.030
Phosphorus (P)P 0 to 0.025
Oxygen (O)O 0 to 0.0015

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

ISO 683-17: Heat-treated steels, alloy steels and free-cutting steels - Part 17: Ball and roller bearing steels

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