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2025 Aluminum vs. ASTM A372 Grade C Steel

2025 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade C steel belongs to the iron alloys. 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 ASTM A372 grade C steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110
210
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 72
190
Elongation at Break, % 15
17
Fatigue Strength, MPa 130
290
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 27
73
Shear Strength, MPa 240
440
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 400
710
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 260
430

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 190
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 520
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 870
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
51
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 40
7.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 120
8.2

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 10
1.8
Density, g/cm3 3.0
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 7.9
1.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
19
Embodied Water, L/kg 1130
46

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 55
100
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 450
500
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 46
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
25
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 40
23
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 58
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 18
22

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 90.9 to 95.2
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.48
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
0
Copper (Cu), % 3.9 to 5.0
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 1.0
97.5 to 99.85
Magnesium (Mg), % 0 to 0.050
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.4 to 1.2
0 to 1.7
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 0.5 to 1.2
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.010
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.15
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.25
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0