AZ31B Magnesium vs. 6012 Aluminum
AZ31B magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while 6012 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys.
For each property being compared, the top bar is AZ31B magnesium and the bottom bar is 6012 aluminum.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 45 | |
| 69 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 5.6 to 12 | |
| 9.1 to 11 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 100 to 120 | |
| 55 to 100 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.33 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 17 | |
| 26 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 130 to 160 | |
| 130 to 190 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 240 to 270 | |
| 220 to 320 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 120 to 180 | |
| 110 to 260 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 350 | |
| 400 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 150 | |
| 170 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 600 | |
| 640 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 600 | |
| 570 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 990 | |
| 890 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 100 | |
| 160 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 26 | |
| 23 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 18 | |
| 45 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 95 | |
| 140 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 12 | |
| 9.5 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 1.7 | |
| 2.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 23 | |
| 8.2 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 160 | |
| 150 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 970 | |
| 1170 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 13 to 25 | |
| 21 to 28 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 170 to 370 | |
| 94 to 480 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 15 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 70 | |
| 48 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 39 to 44 | |
| 22 to 32 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 50 to 55 | |
| 29 to 37 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 62 | |
| 62 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 14 to 16 | |
| 10 to 14 |
Alloy Composition
| Aluminum (Al), % | 2.4 to 3.6 | |
| 92.2 to 98 |
| Bismuth (Bi), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.7 |
| Calcium (Ca), % | 0 to 0.040 | |
| 0 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.3 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.050 | |
| 0 to 0.1 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 0 to 0.050 | |
| 0 to 0.5 |
| Lead (Pb), % | 0 | |
| 0.4 to 2.0 |
| Magnesium (Mg), % | 93.6 to 97.1 | |
| 0.6 to 1.2 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.050 to 1.0 | |
| 0.4 to 1.0 |
| Nickel (Ni), % | 0 to 0.0050 | |
| 0 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0.6 to 1.4 |
| Titanium (Ti), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.2 |
| Zinc (Zn), % | 0.5 to 1.5 | |
| 0 to 0.3 |
| Residuals, % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.15 |