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A390.0 Aluminum vs. ASTM A588 Steel

A390.0 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A588 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 A390.0 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A588 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110 to 140
170
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 75
190
Elongation at Break, % 0.87 to 0.91
22
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70 to 100
270
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 28
73
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 190 to 290
550
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 190 to 290
390

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 640
250 to 260
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 170
410
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 580
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 480
1410 to 1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 130
43 to 44
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 20
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 20
7.4
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 67
8.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 11
2.3 to 2.5
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 7.3
1.5 to 1.6
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 140
20 to 22
Embodied Water, L/kg 950
50 to 51

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 1.6 to 2.6
110
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 240 to 580
400
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 52
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 19 to 30
20
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 27 to 36
19
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 56
12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 9.0 to 14
16