ASTM A387 Grade 21 Steel vs. Solder Alloy 161
ASTM A387 grade 21 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while solder alloy 161 belongs to the otherwise unclassified metals. There are 23 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (9, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is ASTM A387 grade 21 steel and the bottom bar is solder alloy 161.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 38 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 21 | |
| 44 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.39 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 74 | |
| 14 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 500 to 590 | |
| 53 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 260 | |
| 48 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1470 | |
| 190 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1430 | |
| 180 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 190 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 41 | |
| 49 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 13 | |
| 25 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.6 | |
| 11 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.8 | |
| 11 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.9 | |
| 8.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 1.8 | |
| 11 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 23 | |
| 180 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 62 | |
| 910 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 2.4 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 13 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 18 to 21 | |
| 1.7 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 18 to 20 | |
| 3.5 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 11 | |
| 29 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 14 to 17 | |
| 4.1 |
Alloy Composition
| Aluminum (Al), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.0010 |
| Antimony (Sb), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.2 |
| Arsenic (As), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.030 |
| Bismuth (Bi), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.1 |
| Cadmium (Cd), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.0020 |
| Carbon (C), % | 0.050 to 0.15 | |
| 0 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 2.8 to 3.3 | |
| 0 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 | |
| 1.2 to 1.6 |
| Gold (Au), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.050 |
| Indium (In), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.1 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 94.4 to 96 | |
| 0 to 0.020 |
| Lead (Pb), % | 0 | |
| 37.3 to 39.3 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.3 to 0.6 | |
| 0 |
| Molybdenum (Mo), % | 0.9 to 1.1 | |
| 0 |
| Nickel (Ni), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.010 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.025 | |
| 0 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0 to 0.5 | |
| 0 |
| Silver (Ag), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.1 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.025 | |
| 0 |
| Tin (Sn), % | 0 | |
| 59.5 to 60.5 |
| Zinc (Zn), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.0010 |