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6081 Aluminum vs. ASTM A372 Grade J Steel

6081 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade J 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 6081 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A372 grade J steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 69
190
Elongation at Break, % 9.0
17 to 22
Fatigue Strength, MPa 110
310 to 570
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Shear Strength, MPa 180
410 to 630
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 310
650 to 1020
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 270
430 to 850

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 410
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 160
420
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 610
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 180
44
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 47
7.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 160
8.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
2.4
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.3
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
20
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
51

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 27
130 to 170
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 540
500 to 1930
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 32
23 to 36
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 37
21 to 29
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 74
12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
19 to 30

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 96.3 to 98.6
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.35 to 0.5
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
0.8 to 1.2
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.5
96.7 to 97.8
Magnesium (Mg), % 0.6 to 1.0
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.1 to 0.45
0.75 to 1.1
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.15 to 0.25
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 0.7 to 1.1
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.010
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.15
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.2
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0