ASTM A387 Grade 21 Steel vs. C19020 Copper
ASTM A387 grade 21 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while C19020 copper belongs to the copper alloys. There are 26 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (6, 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 C19020 copper.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 120 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 21 | |
| 2.3 to 5.7 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.34 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 74 | |
| 44 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 310 to 370 | |
| 260 to 340 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 500 to 590 | |
| 440 to 590 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 260 | |
| 210 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 480 | |
| 200 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1470 | |
| 1090 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1430 | |
| 1030 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 390 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 41 | |
| 190 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 13 | |
| 17 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.6 | |
| 50 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.8 | |
| 50 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 4.1 | |
| 31 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.9 | |
| 8.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 1.8 | |
| 2.8 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 23 | |
| 44 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 62 | |
| 310 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 7.2 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 18 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 18 to 21 | |
| 14 to 18 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 18 to 20 | |
| 14 to 18 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 11 | |
| 55 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 14 to 17 | |
| 16 to 21 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0.050 to 0.15 | |
| 0 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 2.8 to 3.3 | |
| 0 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 | |
| 95.7 to 99.19 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 94.4 to 96 | |
| 0 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.3 to 0.6 | |
| 0 |
| Molybdenum (Mo), % | 0.9 to 1.1 | |
| 0 |
| Nickel (Ni), % | 0 | |
| 0.5 to 3.0 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.025 | |
| 0.010 to 0.2 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0 to 0.5 | |
| 0 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.025 | |
| 0 |
| Tin (Sn), % | 0 | |
| 0.3 to 0.9 |
| Residuals, % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.2 |