ASTM A321 Carbon Steel vs. SAE-AISI 1040 Steel
Both ASTM A321 carbon steel and SAE-AISI 1040 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 1040 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 190 | |
| 160 to 180 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 21 | |
| 13 to 20 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 270 | |
| 220 to 340 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Reduction in Area, % | 39 | |
| 40 to 45 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 73 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 420 | |
| 350 to 390 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 670 | |
| 570 to 640 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 390 | |
| 320 to 530 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 250 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 400 | |
| 400 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1460 | |
| 1460 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1420 | |
| 1420 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 51 | |
| 51 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 12 | |
| 12 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.1 | |
| 7.0 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.1 | |
| 8.0 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 1.8 | |
| 1.8 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.8 | |
| 7.8 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 1.4 | |
| 1.4 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 18 | |
| 18 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 46 | |
| 46 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 120 | |
| 79 to 96 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 400 | |
| 270 to 760 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 24 | |
| 20 to 23 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 22 | |
| 19 to 21 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 21 | |
| 18 to 20 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0 to 0.55 | |
| 0.37 to 0.44 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 98.1 to 99.25 | |
| 98.6 to 99.03 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.6 to 0.9 | |
| 0.6 to 0.9 |
| 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 |