6101 Aluminum vs. C99400 Brass

6101 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while C99400 brass belongs to the copper alloys. There are 18 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (9, 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 6101 aluminum and the bottom bar is C99400 brass.

6101 (E-AlMgSi, 91E) Aluminum UNS C99400 Brass

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		68
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		120

Poisson's Ratio		0.33
Poisson's Ratio		0.34

Shear Modulus, GPa		26
Shear Modulus, GPa		44

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		400
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		230

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C		160
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C		200

Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C		650
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C		1070

Melting Onset (Solidus), °C		620
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C		1020

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		900
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		400

Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		23
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		17

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS		57 to 60
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS		17

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS		190 to 200
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS		17

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative		9.5
Base Metal Price, % relative		30

Density, g/cm³		2.7
Density, g/cm³		8.7

Embodied Carbon, kg CO₂/kg material		8.3
Embodied Carbon, kg CO₂/kg material		2.8

Embodied Energy, MJ/kg		150
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg		45

Embodied Water, L/kg		1190
Embodied Water, L/kg		310

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		14
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		7.5

Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		50
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		19

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), %		97.6 to 99.4
Aluminum (Al), %		0.5 to 2.0

Boron (B), %		0 to 0.060
Boron (B), %		0

Chromium (Cr), %		0 to 0.030
Chromium (Cr), %		0

Copper (Cu), %		0 to 0.1
Copper (Cu), %		83.5 to 96.5

Iron (Fe), %		0 to 0.5
Iron (Fe), %		1.0 to 3.0

Lead (Pb), %		0
Lead (Pb), %		0 to 0.25

Magnesium (Mg), %		0.35 to 0.8
Magnesium (Mg), %		0

Manganese (Mn), %		0 to 0.030
Manganese (Mn), %		0 to 0.5

Nickel (Ni), %		0
Nickel (Ni), %		1.0 to 3.5

Silicon (Si), %		0.3 to 0.7
Silicon (Si), %		0.5 to 2.0

Zinc (Zn), %		0 to 0.1
Zinc (Zn), %		0.5 to 5.0

Residuals, %		0
Residuals, %		0 to 0.3