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SAE-AISI 1046 (G10460) Carbon Steel

SAE-AISI 1046 steel is a carbon (non-alloy) steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1046 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G10460 is the UNS number.

It has a fairly high electrical conductivity among wrought carbon or non-alloy steels. In addition, it can have a moderately high tensile strength and a moderately low ductility.

The properties of SAE-AISI 1046 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 SAE-AISI 1046 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

190 to 210

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

190 GPa 27 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

14 to 17 %

Fatigue Strength

240 to 390 MPa 35 to 56 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Reduction in Area

39 to 50 %

Shear Modulus

72 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

410 to 450 MPa 59 to 65 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

660 to 740 MPa 96 to 110 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

370 to 610 MPa 53 to 88 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

250 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

400 °C 750 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1460 °C 2660 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1420 °C 2590 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

51 W/m-K 30 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

11 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

11 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

12 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

1.8 % relative

Density

7.8 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)

91 to 95 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

360 to 990 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

23 to 26 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

22 to 23 points

Thermal Diffusivity

14 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

23 to 25 points

Alloy Composition

Iron (Fe)Fe 98.4 to 98.9
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0.7 to 1.0
Carbon (C)C 0.43 to 0.5
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

Cold-Formed Steel Structures to the AISI Specification, Gregory J. Hancock et al., 2001

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

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