ASTM A285 Carbon Steel vs. Solder Alloy 121
ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while solder alloy 121 belongs to the otherwise unclassified metals. There are 25 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (6, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is ASTM A285 carbon steel and the bottom bar is solder alloy 121.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 110 to 130 | |
| 11 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 21 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 30 to 34 | |
| 25 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.43 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 7.5 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 380 to 450 | |
| 32 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 29 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1470 | |
| 290 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1420 to 1430 | |
| 230 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 140 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 53 | |
| 31 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 12 | |
| 28 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.0 | |
| 8.8 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.0 | |
| 7.4 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 1.8 | |
| 80 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.9 | |
| 11 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 1.4 | |
| 5.6 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 18 | |
| 93 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 46 | |
| 580 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 1.1 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 8.6 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 13 to 16 | |
| 0.84 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 15 to 17 | |
| 2.1 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 20 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 12 to 14 | |
| 3.9 |