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2025 Aluminum vs. SAE-AISI 4340M Steel

2025 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 4340M steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 31 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 SAE-AISI 4340M steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110
710
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 72
190
Elongation at Break, % 15
6.0
Fatigue Strength, MPa 130
690
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 27
72
Shear Strength, MPa 240
1360
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 400
2340
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 260
1240

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
280
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 190
430
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1440
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 520
1400
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 870
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
38
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 40
7.8
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 120
9.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 10
3.9
Density, g/cm3 3.0
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 7.9
1.9
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
26
Embodied Water, L/kg 1130
55

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 55
120
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 450
4120
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 46
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
84
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 40
51
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 58
10
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 18
70

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 90.9 to 95.2
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.38 to 0.43
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
0.7 to 1.0
Copper (Cu), % 3.9 to 5.0
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 1.0
93.3 to 94.8
Magnesium (Mg), % 0 to 0.050
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.4 to 1.2
0.65 to 0.9
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.35 to 0.45
Nickel (Ni), % 0
1.7 to 2.0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.012
Silicon (Si), % 0.5 to 1.2
1.5 to 1.8
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.012
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.15
0
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.050 to 0.1
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.25
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0