AZ81A Magnesium vs. ASTM A216 Cast Steel
AZ81A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ASTM A216 cast steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (5, 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 AZ81A magnesium and the bottom bar is ASTM A216 cast steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 46 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 3.0 to 8.8 | |
| 25 to 27 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 78 to 80 | |
| 170 to 230 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 18 | |
| 72 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 160 to 240 | |
| 500 to 570 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 84 | |
| 230 to 310 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 350 | |
| 250 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 130 | |
| 400 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 600 | |
| 1450 to 1460 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 500 | |
| 1410 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 990 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 84 | |
| 49 to 52 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 27 | |
| 12 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 12 | |
| 7.1 to 7.2 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 65 | |
| 8.2 to 8.3 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 12 | |
| 1.8 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 1.7 | |
| 7.8 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 23 | |
| 1.4 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 160 | |
| 18 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 990 | |
| 45 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 4.0 to 17 | |
| 110 to 120 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 77 to 78 | |
| 140 to 250 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 15 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 70 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 26 to 39 | |
| 18 to 20 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 38 to 50 | |
| 18 to 20 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 50 | |
| 13 to 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 9.1 to 14 | |
| 16 to 18 |