ASTM A321 Carbon Steel vs. SAE-AISI 1015 Steel
Both ASTM A321 carbon steel and SAE-AISI 1015 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 1015 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 190 | |
| 120 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 21 | |
| 20 to 32 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 270 | |
| 170 to 250 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Reduction in Area, % | 39 | |
| 46 to 56 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 73 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 420 | |
| 260 to 270 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 670 | |
| 390 to 440 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 390 | |
| 210 to 370 |
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 | |
| 52 |
| 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 | |
| 83 to 110 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 400 | |
| 120 to 360 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 24 | |
| 14 to 15 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 22 | |
| 15 to 16 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 21 | |
| 12 to 14 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0 to 0.55 | |
| 0.13 to 0.18 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 98.1 to 99.25 | |
| 99.13 to 99.57 |
| 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 |