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SAE-AISI 1021 (G10210) Carbon Steel

SAE-AISI 1021 steel is a carbon (non-alloy) steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1021 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G10210 is the UNS number.

The properties of SAE-AISI 1021 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 SAE-AISI 1021 steel to: wrought carbon or non-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

130 to 150

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

190 GPa 27 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

17 to 27 %

Fatigue Strength

190 to 300 MPa 28 to 43 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Reduction in Area

46 to 54 %

Shear Modulus

73 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

310 to 320 MPa 45 to 47 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

480 to 530 MPa 69 to 76 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

260 to 450 MPa 37 to 65 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

250 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

400 °C 750 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1460 °C 2670 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1420 °C 2590 °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

12 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

7.0 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

8.0 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

1.8 % relative

Density

7.9 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

1.4 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

18 MJ/kg 7.9 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

46 L/kg 5.5 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

84 to 110 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

180 to 530 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

17 to 19 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

17 to 18 points

Thermal Diffusivity

14 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

15 to 17 points

Alloy Composition

Iron (Fe)Fe 98.8 to 99.22
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0.6 to 0.9
Carbon (C)C 0.18 to 0.23
Sulfur (S)S 0 to 0.050
Phosphorus (P)P 0 to 0.040

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

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

ASTM A29: Standard Specification for Steel Bars, Carbon and Alloy, Hot-Wrought, General Requirements for

Microstructure of Steels and Cast Irons, Madeleine Durand-Charre, 2004

Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels and High Performance Alloys, ASM Handbook vol. 1, ASM International, 1993

Carbon Steel Handbook, D. Gandy, 2007

ASM Specialty Handbook: Carbon and Alloy Steels, J. R. Davis (editor), 1996

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

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