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EN-MC21210 Magnesium vs. ASTM A372 Grade F Steel

EN-MC21210 magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ASTM A372 grade F steel belongs to the iron alloys. 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 EN-MC21210 magnesium and the bottom bar is ASTM A372 grade F steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 48
200 to 280
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 44
190
Elongation at Break, % 14
20 to 22
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70
310 to 380
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
73
Shear Strength, MPa 110
410 to 570
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 190
650 to 910
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 90
430 to 550

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 100
420
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 120
44
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 27
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 24
7.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 130
8.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
2.4
Density, g/cm3 1.6
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 24
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
20
Embodied Water, L/kg 980
51

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 22
130 to 160
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 92
500 to 810
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 72
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 32
23 to 32
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 44
21 to 27
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 76
12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 11
19 to 27

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 1.6 to 2.6
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.3 to 0.4
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.8 to 1.2
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0050
96.8 to 97.9
Magnesium (Mg), % 96.3 to 98.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.1 to 0.7
0.7 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.15 to 0.25
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.015
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.010
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.2
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.010
0