ASTM A321 Carbon Steel vs. SAE-AISI 1086 Steel
Both ASTM A321 carbon steel and SAE-AISI 1086 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 1086 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 190 | |
| 220 to 260 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 21 | |
| 11 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 270 | |
| 300 to 360 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Reduction in Area, % | 39 | |
| 28 to 45 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 72 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 420 | |
| 450 to 520 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 670 | |
| 760 to 870 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 390 | |
| 480 to 580 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 240 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 400 | |
| 400 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1460 | |
| 1460 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1420 | |
| 1410 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 51 | |
| 50 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 12 | |
| 11 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.1 | |
| 7.0 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.1 | |
| 8.1 |
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 | |
| 19 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 46 | |
| 45 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 120 | |
| 79 to 84 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 400 | |
| 610 to 890 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 24 | |
| 27 to 31 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 22 | |
| 24 to 26 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 21 | |
| 26 to 30 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0 to 0.55 | |
| 0.8 to 0.93 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 98.1 to 99.25 | |
| 98.5 to 98.9 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.6 to 0.9 | |
| 0.3 to 0.5 |
| 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 |