EN-MC21320 Magnesium vs. Automotive Malleable Cast Iron
EN-MC21320 magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while automotive malleable cast iron belongs to the iron alloys. There are 28 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (3, 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 EN-MC21320 magnesium and the bottom bar is automotive malleable cast iron.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness | 68 | |
130 to 290 |
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 45 | |
180 |
Elongation at Break, % | 7.5 | |
1.0 to 10 |
Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
0.29 |
Shear Modulus, GPa | 18 | |
70 |
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 230 | |
350 to 720 |
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 140 | |
220 to 590 |
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 370 | |
260 |
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 600 | |
1410 |
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 530 | |
1370 |
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 1000 | |
480 |
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 66 | |
41 |
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 26 | |
14 |
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 17 | |
7.4 |
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 91 | |
8.7 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price, % relative | 12 | |
1.9 |
Density, g/cm3 | 1.6 | |
7.6 |
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 23 | |
1.5 |
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 160 | |
20 |
Embodied Water, L/kg | 980 | |
45 |
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 15 | |
6.8 to 30 |
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 200 | |
130 to 950 |
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 15 | |
13 |
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 72 | |
25 |
Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 38 | |
13 to 26 |
Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
14 to 24 |
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 40 | |
11 |
Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 13 | |
9.9 to 21 |
Alloy Composition
Aluminum (Al), % | 3.5 to 5.0 | |
0 |
Carbon (C), % | 0 | |
2.2 to 2.9 |
Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.010 | |
0 |
Iron (Fe), % | 0 to 0.0050 | |
93.6 to 96.7 |
Magnesium (Mg), % | 92.5 to 95.9 | |
0 |
Manganese (Mn), % | 0.1 to 0.7 | |
0.15 to 1.3 |
Nickel (Ni), % | 0 to 0.0020 | |
0 |
Phosphorus (P), % | 0 | |
0.020 to 0.15 |
Silicon (Si), % | 0.5 to 1.5 | |
0.9 to 1.9 |
Sulfur (S), % | 0 | |
0.020 to 0.2 |
Zinc (Zn), % | 0 to 0.2 | |
0 |
Residuals, % | 0 to 0.010 | |
0 |