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2124 Aluminum vs. ASTM A372 Grade B Steel

2124 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade B steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (1, 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 2124 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A372 grade B steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 71
190
Elongation at Break, % 5.7
20
Fatigue Strength, MPa 130
240
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 27
73
Shear Strength, MPa 280
380
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 490
600
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 430
350

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 390
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 190
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 500
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
52
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 38
7.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 110
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 8.2
1.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
18
Embodied Water, L/kg 1150
46

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 27
100
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 1290
330
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 46
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 45
21
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 46
20
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 58
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 21
19

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 91.3 to 94.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.35
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
0
Copper (Cu), % 3.8 to 4.9
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.3
97.9 to 99.85
Magnesium (Mg), % 1.2 to 1.8
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.3 to 0.9
0 to 1.4
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.2
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