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ASTM A36 Carbon Steel vs. Boron Carbide

ASTM A36 carbon steel and boron carbide belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. ASTM A36 carbon steel is a metal, while boron carbide is a ceramic material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (23, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is ASTM A36 carbon steel and the bottom bar is boron carbide.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
240 to 460
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.17 to 0.19
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 480
350

Thermal Properties

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
1000 to 2500
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
950
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 50
31 to 90
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 11
4.5 to 5.6

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 7.9
2.1 to 2.7

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
63 to 100
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
91 to 100
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 17
37 to 47
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 17
42 to 53
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
16 to 38
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 16
9.7 to 20