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ASTM A387 Grade 12 Steel vs. AZ31C Magnesium

ASTM A387 grade 12 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while AZ31C magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (2, 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 A387 grade 12 steel and the bottom bar is AZ31C magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
45
Elongation at Break, % 25
12
Fatigue Strength, MPa 190 to 230
150
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
17
Shear Strength, MPa 300 to 330
130
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 470 to 520
260
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 260 to 310
200

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
350
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 430
110
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1470
600
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420
550
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
990
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 44
130
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 13
26

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.2
19
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.3
98

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 2.8
12
Density, g/cm3 7.8
1.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.6
23
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 21
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 51
970

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 98 to 110
28
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 180 to 250
440
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
15
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
70
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 16 to 18
42
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 17 to 18
53
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 12
74
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14 to 15
16

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 0
2.4 to 3.6
Carbon (C), % 0.050 to 0.17
0
Chromium (Cr), % 0.8 to 1.2
0
Copper (Cu), % 0
0 to 0.1
Iron (Fe), % 97 to 98.2
0
Magnesium (Mg), % 0
93.4 to 97
Manganese (Mn), % 0.4 to 0.65
0.15 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0.45 to 0.6
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0
0 to 0.030
Phosphorus (P), % 0 to 0.025
0
Silicon (Si), % 0.15 to 0.4
0 to 0.1
Sulfur (S), % 0 to 0.025
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0
0.5 to 1.5
Residuals, % 0
0 to 0.3