SAE-AISI H42 (T20842) Molybdenum Hot-Work Steel

SAE-AISI H42 steel is a tool steel. H42 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. T20842 is the UNS number.

The properties of SAE-AISI H42 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 H42 steel to: tool 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.

Annealed H42 Tool Steel Hardened H42 Tool Steel

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

200 GPa 29 x 10⁶ psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

77 GPa 11 x 10⁶ psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

700 to 1980 MPa 100 to 290 x 10³ psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

260 J/g

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1620 °C 2950 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1570 °C 2870 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

440 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

24 W/m-K 14 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

12 µm/m-K

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

24 % relative

Density

8.4 g/cm³ 520 lb/ft³

Embodied Carbon

8.8 kg CO₂/kg material

Embodied Energy

130 MJ/kg 57 x 10³ BTU/lb

Embodied Water

98 L/kg 12 gal/lb

Common Calculations

PREN (Pitting Resistance)

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

23 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

23 to 65 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

21 to 42 points

Thermal Diffusivity

6.5 mm²/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

20 to 57 points

Alloy Composition

Iron (Fe)Fe		79.3 to 83.8
Tungsten (W)W		5.5 to 6.8
Molybdenum (Mo)Mo		4.5 to 5.5
Chromium (Cr)Cr		3.8 to 4.5
Vanadium (V)V		1.8 to 2.2
Carbon (C)C		0.55 to 0.7
Manganese (Mn)Mn		0.15 to 0.4
Nickel (Ni)Ni		0 to 0.3
Copper (Cu)Cu		0 to 0.25
Phosphorus (P)P		0 to 0.030
Sulfur (S)S		0 to 0.030