AISI W2 Steel vs. SAE-AISI L2 Steel
Both AISI W2 steel and SAE-AISI L2 steel are iron alloys. Their average alloy composition is basically identical.
For each property being compared, the top bar is AISI W2 steel and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI L2 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 72 | |
| 72 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 580 to 2400 | |
| 590 to 1960 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 250 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1450 | |
| 1450 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1410 | |
| 1410 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 45 | |
| 44 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 12 | |
| 12 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.2 | |
| 7.3 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.3 | |
| 8.4 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 2.3 | |
| 2.4 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.8 | |
| 7.8 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 2.0 | |
| 1.9 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 29 | |
| 27 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 48 | |
| 51 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 21 to 86 | |
| 21 to 70 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 20 to 51 | |
| 20 to 45 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 12 | |
| 12 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 19 to 80 | |
| 19 to 65 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0.85 to 1.5 | |
| 0.45 to 1.0 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0 to 0.15 | |
| 0.7 to 1.2 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.2 | |
| 0 to 0.25 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 96.2 to 98.6 | |
| 95.5 to 98.7 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.35 to 0.74 | |
| 0.1 to 0.9 |
| Molybdenum (Mo), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 to 0.25 |
| Nickel (Ni), % | 0 to 0.2 | |
| 0 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.025 | |
| 0 to 0.030 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.1 to 0.4 | |
| 0 to 0.5 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.025 | |
| 0 to 0.030 |
| Tungsten (W), % | 0 to 0.15 | |
| 0 |
| Vanadium (V), % | 0.15 to 0.35 | |
| 0.1 to 0.3 |