ASTM A321 Carbon Steel vs. ASTM A356 Grade 2
Both ASTM A321 carbon steel and ASTM A356 grade 2 are iron alloys. Their average alloy composition is basically identical. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (1, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is ASTM A321 carbon steel and the bottom bar is ASTM A356 grade 2.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 190 | |
| 150 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 21 | |
| 25 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 270 | |
| 200 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Reduction in Area, % | 39 | |
| 39 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 73 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 670 | |
| 510 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 390 | |
| 270 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 250 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 400 | |
| 410 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1460 | |
| 1470 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1420 | |
| 1430 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 51 | |
| 51 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 12 | |
| 13 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.1 | |
| 7.1 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.1 | |
| 8.2 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 1.8 | |
| 2.4 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.8 | |
| 7.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 1.4 | |
| 1.5 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 18 | |
| 20 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 46 | |
| 47 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 120 | |
| 110 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 400 | |
| 190 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 24 | |
| 18 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 22 | |
| 18 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 21 | |
| 15 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0 to 0.55 | |
| 0 to 0.25 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 98.1 to 99.25 | |
| 97.7 to 99.55 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.6 to 0.9 | |
| 0 to 0.7 |
| Molybdenum (Mo), % | 0 | |
| 0.45 to 0.65 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.040 | |
| 0 to 0.035 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.15 to 0.35 | |
| 0 to 0.6 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.050 | |
| 0 to 0.030 |