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SAE-AISI 4820 (G48200) Nickel Steel

SAE-AISI 4820 steel is an alloy steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. Cited properties are appropriate for the annealed condition. 4820 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G48200 is the UNS number.

It has a moderately high base cost among SAE-AISI wrought steels. In addition, it has a moderately high embodied energy and a moderately high electrical conductivity.

The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare SAE-AISI 4820 steel to: SAE-AISI wrought 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

21 %

Fatigue Strength

260 MPa 38 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

73 GPa 11 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

360 MPa 52 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

570 MPa 83 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

370 MPa 54 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

250 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

410 °C 780 °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

51 W/m-K 29 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

11 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

4.3 % relative

Density

7.9 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

1.8 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

24 MJ/kg 10 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

53 L/kg 6.3 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

110 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

370 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

20 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

19 points

Thermal Diffusivity

14 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

19 points

Alloy Composition

Among alloy steels, the composition of SAE-AISI 4820 steel is notable for including nickel (Ni). Nickel is used to improve mechanical properties, and to make the alloy easier to heat treat.

Iron (Fe)Fe 94.6 to 95.7
Nickel (Ni)Ni 3.3 to 3.8
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0.5 to 0.7
Silicon (Si)Si 0.15 to 0.35
Molybdenum (Mo)Mo 0.2 to 0.3
Carbon (C)C 0.18 to 0.23
Sulfur (S)S 0 to 0.040
Phosphorus (P)P 0 to 0.035

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

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

ASTM A752: Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wire Rods and Coarse Round Wire, Alloy Steel

ASTM A322: Standard Specification for Steel Bars, Alloy, Standard Grades

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

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

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