5657 Aluminum vs. EN-MC21120 Magnesium
5657 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while EN-MC21120 magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 5657 aluminum and the bottom bar is EN-MC21120 magnesium.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 40 to 50 | |
| 63 to 75 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 68 | |
| 46 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 6.6 to 15 | |
| 2.2 to 6.7 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 74 to 88 | |
| 84 to 96 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.33 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 26 | |
| 18 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 92 to 110 | |
| 110 to 160 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 150 to 200 | |
| 200 to 270 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 140 to 170 | |
| 130 to 170 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 400 | |
| 350 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 180 | |
| 130 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 660 | |
| 600 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 640 | |
| 490 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 990 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 210 | |
| 76 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 24 | |
| 26 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 54 | |
| 11 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 180 | |
| 59 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 9.5 | |
| 12 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
| 1.7 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 8.4 | |
| 22 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 160 | |
| 160 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 1200 | |
| 990 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 9.7 to 27 | |
| 5.0 to 15 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 140 to 200 | |
| 180 to 320 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 15 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 69 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 15 to 20 | |
| 31 to 43 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 23 to 28 | |
| 43 to 53 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 84 | |
| 44 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 6.7 to 8.6 | |
| 11 to 16 |
Alloy Composition
| Aluminum (Al), % | 98.5 to 99.4 | |
| 8.3 to 9.7 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 to 0.030 |
| Gallium (Ga), % | 0 to 0.030 | |
| 0 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 to 0.0050 |
| Magnesium (Mg), % | 0.6 to 1.0 | |
| 88.6 to 91.3 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0 to 0.030 | |
| 0.1 to 0.5 |
| Nickel (Ni), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.0020 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0 to 0.080 | |
| 0 to 0.2 |
| Vanadium (V), % | 0 to 0.050 | |
| 0 |
| Zinc (Zn), % | 0 to 0.050 | |
| 0.35 to 1.0 |
| Residuals, % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.010 |