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4145 Aluminum vs. ASTM A372 Grade M Steel

4145 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade M steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (3, 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 4145 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A372 grade M steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 73
190
Elongation at Break, % 2.2
18 to 21
Fatigue Strength, MPa 48
450 to 520
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 28
73
Shear Strength, MPa 69
510 to 570
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 120
810 to 910
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 68
660 to 770

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 540
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 160
450
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 590
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 520
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 100
46
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 21
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 26
8.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 84
9.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 10
5.0
Density, g/cm3 2.8
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 7.6
2.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 140
27
Embodied Water, L/kg 1040
61

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 2.3
160
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 31
1140 to 1580
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 12
29 to 32
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 19
24 to 27
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 5.5
24 to 27

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 83 to 87.4
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.23
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.15
1.5 to 2.0
Copper (Cu), % 3.3 to 4.7
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.8
92.5 to 95.1
Magnesium (Mg), % 0 to 0.15
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0 to 0.15
0.2 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.4 to 0.6
Nickel (Ni), % 0
2.8 to 3.9
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 9.3 to 10.7
0 to 0.3
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.010
Vanadium (V), % 0
0 to 0.080
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.2
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0