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6081 Aluminum vs. ASTM A209 Steel

6081 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A209 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (2, 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 6081 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A209 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 69
190
Elongation at Break, % 9.0
34
Fatigue Strength, MPa 110
180 to 200
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Shear Strength, MPa 180
280 to 310
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 310
420 to 460
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 270
220 to 250

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 410
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 160
410
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1470
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 610
1420 to 1430
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 180
50
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 47
7.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 160
8.1 to 8.2

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
2.4
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.3
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
20
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
47

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 27
120 to 130
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 540
130 to 170
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 32
15 to 16
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 37
16 to 17
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 74
13
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
12 to 14