EN 1.8946 (S355J2WP) Weathering Steel
EN 1.8946 steel is an alloy steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. Cited properties are appropriate for the hot worked condition. 1.8946 is the EN numeric designation for this material. S355J2WP is the EN chemical designation.
It has a moderately high electrical conductivity among EN wrought alloy steels. In addition, it has a moderately high embodied energy and a fairly low tensile strength.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare EN 1.8946 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
170
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
16 %
Fatigue Strength
260 MPa 38 x 103 psi
Impact Strength: V-Notched Charpy
30 J 22 ft-lb
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
350 MPa 51 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
580 MPa 83 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
390 MPa 57 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
420 °C 790 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1460 °C 2660 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 °C 2580 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
43 W/m-K 25 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
13 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.6 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.7 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
2.7 % relative
Density
7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.7 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
23 MJ/kg 9.8 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
51 L/kg 6.1 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
82 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
410 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
20 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
20 points
Thermal Diffusivity
12 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
17 points
Alloy Composition
Among alloy steels, the composition of EN 1.8946 steel is notable for including titanium (Ti) and niobium (Nb). Titanium is used to broadly improve mechanical properties. Niobium is primarily used to improve yield strength.
| Fe | 94.8 to 99.5 | |
| Cr | 0.25 to 1.4 | |
| Mn | 0 to 1.1 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.8 | |
| Cu | 0.2 to 0.6 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.7 | |
| P | 0.050 to 0.16 | |
| C | 0 to 0.15 | |
| V | 0 to 0.14 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.12 | |
| Nb | 0 to 0.065 | |
| S | 0 to 0.035 | |
| Al | 0 to 0.030 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
EN 10025-5: Hot rolled products of structural steels - Part 5: Technical delivery conditions for structural steels with improved atmospheric corrosion resistance
Real Material Properties of Weathering Steels Used in Bridge Structures, Vit Krivy and Petr Konecny, 2013
Manufacture and Uses of Alloy Steels, Henry D. Hibbard, 2005
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015