ASTM A321 Carbon Steel vs. SAE-AISI 1090 Steel
Both ASTM A321 carbon steel and SAE-AISI 1090 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 1090 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 190 | |
| 220 to 280 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 21 | |
| 11 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 270 | |
| 320 to 380 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Reduction in Area, % | 39 | |
| 28 to 45 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 72 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 420 | |
| 470 to 570 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 670 | |
| 790 to 950 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 390 | |
| 520 to 610 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 240 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 400 | |
| 400 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1460 | |
| 1450 |
| 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 | |
| 12 |
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 | |
| 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 | |
| 46 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 120 | |
| 82 to 91 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 400 | |
| 730 to 1000 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 24 | |
| 28 to 34 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 22 | |
| 24 to 27 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 13 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 21 | |
| 25 to 31 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0 to 0.55 | |
| 0.85 to 1.0 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 98.1 to 99.25 | |
| 98 to 98.6 |
| 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 |