5042 Aluminum vs. ISO-WD32260 Magnesium
5042 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ISO-WD32260 magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 5042 aluminum and the bottom bar is ISO-WD32260 magnesium.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 68 | |
| 46 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 1.1 to 3.4 | |
| 4.5 to 6.0 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 97 to 120 | |
| 150 to 190 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.33 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 26 | |
| 18 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 200 | |
| 190 to 200 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 340 to 360 | |
| 330 to 340 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 270 to 310 | |
| 230 to 250 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 400 | |
| 330 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 180 | |
| 120 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 640 | |
| 600 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 570 | |
| 520 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 970 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 130 | |
| 110 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 24 | |
| 27 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 33 | |
| 28 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 110 | |
| 140 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 9.5 | |
| 13 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
| 1.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 8.8 | |
| 23 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 150 | |
| 160 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 1180 | |
| 940 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 3.6 to 12 | |
| 14 to 19 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 550 to 720 | |
| 560 to 700 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 63 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 35 to 37 | |
| 48 to 51 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 40 to 42 | |
| 56 to 58 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 53 | |
| 63 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 15 to 16 | |
| 19 to 20 |
Alloy Composition
| Aluminum (Al), % | 94.2 to 96.8 | |
| 0 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.15 | |
| 0 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 0 to 0.35 | |
| 0 |
| Magnesium (Mg), % | 3.0 to 4.0 | |
| 92.7 to 94.8 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.2 to 0.5 | |
| 0 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0 to 0.2 | |
| 0 |
| Titanium (Ti), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 |
| Zinc (Zn), % | 0 to 0.25 | |
| 4.8 to 6.2 |
| Zirconium (Zr), % | 0 | |
| 0.45 to 0.8 |
| Residuals, % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.3 |