ASTM A321 Carbon Steel vs. SAE-AISI 1012 Steel
Both ASTM A321 carbon steel and SAE-AISI 1012 steel are iron alloys. Their average alloy composition is basically identical.
For each property being compared, the top bar is ASTM A321 carbon steel and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 1012 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 190 | |
| 100 to 110 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 21 | |
| 21 to 31 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 270 | |
| 150 to 230 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Reduction in Area, % | 39 | |
| 45 to 57 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 73 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 420 | |
| 230 to 250 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 670 | |
| 360 to 400 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 390 | |
| 200 to 330 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 250 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 400 | |
| 400 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1460 | |
| 1470 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1420 | |
| 1420 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 51 | |
| 53 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 12 | |
| 12 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.1 | |
| 6.9 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.1 | |
| 7.9 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 1.8 | |
| 1.8 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.8 | |
| 7.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 1.4 | |
| 1.4 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 18 | |
| 18 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 46 | |
| 45 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 120 | |
| 80 to 93 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 400 | |
| 110 to 300 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 24 | |
| 13 to 14 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 22 | |
| 14 to 15 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 21 | |
| 11 to 13 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0 to 0.55 | |
| 0.1 to 0.15 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 98.1 to 99.25 | |
| 99.16 to 99.6 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.6 to 0.9 | |
| 0.3 to 0.6 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.040 | |
| 0 to 0.040 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.15 to 0.35 | |
| 0 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.050 | |
| 0 to 0.050 |