6101B Aluminum vs. SAE-AISI 1026 Steel
6101B aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 1026 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 6101B aluminum and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 1026 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 68 | |
190 |
Elongation at Break, % | 9.1 to 13 | |
17 to 27 |
Fatigue Strength, MPa | 62 to 70 | |
200 to 310 |
Poisson's Ratio | 0.33 | |
0.29 |
Shear Modulus, GPa | 26 | |
73 |
Shear Strength, MPa | 120 to 150 | |
320 to 340 |
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 190 to 250 | |
500 to 550 |
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 140 to 180 | |
270 to 470 |
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 400 | |
250 |
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 160 | |
400 |
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 640 | |
1460 |
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 630 | |
1420 |
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
470 |
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 210 | |
52 |
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 23 | |
12 |
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 57 | |
7.0 |
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 190 | |
8.0 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price, % relative | 9.5 | |
1.8 |
Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
7.9 |
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 8.3 | |
1.4 |
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 150 | |
18 |
Embodied Water, L/kg | 1190 | |
46 |
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 20 to 23 | |
89 to 110 |
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 140 to 240 | |
200 to 580 |
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
13 |
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
24 |
Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 20 to 25 | |
18 to 20 |
Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 27 to 32 | |
18 to 19 |
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 87 | |
14 |
Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 8.5 to 11 | |
16 to 18 |
Alloy Composition
Aluminum (Al), % | 98.2 to 99.3 | |
0 |
Carbon (C), % | 0 | |
0.22 to 0.28 |
Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.050 | |
0 |
Iron (Fe), % | 0.1 to 0.3 | |
98.7 to 99.18 |
Magnesium (Mg), % | 0.35 to 0.6 | |
0 |
Manganese (Mn), % | 0 to 0.050 | |
0.6 to 0.9 |
Phosphorus (P), % | 0 | |
0 to 0.040 |
Silicon (Si), % | 0.3 to 0.6 | |
0 |
Sulfur (S), % | 0 | |
0 to 0.050 |
Zinc (Zn), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
0 |
Residuals, % | 0 to 0.1 | |
0 |