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ASTM A285 Carbon Steel vs. ZC63A Magnesium

ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while ZC63A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 31 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 ASTM A285 carbon steel and the bottom bar is ZC63A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110 to 130
60
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
48
Elongation at Break, % 30 to 34
3.3
Fatigue Strength, MPa 150 to 180
94
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
19
Shear Strength, MPa 250 to 290
130
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 380 to 450
220
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 190 to 230
130

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
330
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
98
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1470
550
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420 to 1430
470
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
950
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 53
120
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
26

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.0
32
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.0
140

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.8
13
Density, g/cm3 7.9
2.1
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
22
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 18
150
Embodied Water, L/kg 46
920

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 110
6.3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 94 to 150
190
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
58
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 13 to 16
29
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15 to 17
38
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
58
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 12 to 14
12