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2025 Aluminum vs. ACI-ASTM CD3MWCuN Steel

2025 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ACI-ASTM CD3MWCuN steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (4, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is 2025 aluminum and the bottom bar is ACI-ASTM CD3MWCuN steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 72
200
Elongation at Break, % 15
29
Fatigue Strength, MPa 130
370
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.27
Shear Modulus, GPa 27
80
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 400
790
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 260
500

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
300
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 190
1100
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 520
1410
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 870
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
16
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 40
2.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 120
2.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 10
22
Density, g/cm3 3.0
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 7.9
4.2
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
58
Embodied Water, L/kg 1130
180

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 55
200
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 450
620
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 46
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
28
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 40
24
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 58
4.2
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 18
22

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 90.9 to 95.2
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.030
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
24 to 26
Copper (Cu), % 3.9 to 5.0
0.5 to 1.0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 1.0
56.6 to 65.3
Magnesium (Mg), % 0 to 0.050
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.4 to 1.2
0 to 1.5
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
3.0 to 4.0
Nickel (Ni), % 0
6.5 to 8.5
Nitrogen (N), % 0
0.2 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0.5 to 1.2
0 to 1.0
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.025
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.15
0
Tungsten (W), % 0
0.5 to 1.0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.25
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0