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EN-MC65120 Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI 4037 Steel

EN-MC65120 magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 4037 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-MC65120 magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 4037 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 55
160
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 3.1
23
Fatigue Strength, MPa 80
210
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
73
Shear Strength, MPa 92
340
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 160
540
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 110
290

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 330
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 180
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 590
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 520
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 970
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 100
48
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 25
7.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 120
8.2

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 25
2.1
Density, g/cm3 1.9
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 25
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 190
19
Embodied Water, L/kg 930
47

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 4.4
100
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 140
220
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 62
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 23
19
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 34
19
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 56
13
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 9.8
16

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 0
0.35 to 0.4
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.030
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.010
98 to 98.6
Magnesium (Mg), % 91.8 to 95.1
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0 to 0.15
0.7 to 0.9
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.2 to 0.3
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0050
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.035
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.010
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Unspecified Rare Earths, % 2.5 to 4.0
0
Zinc (Zn), % 2.0 to 3.0
0
Zirconium (Zr), % 0.4 to 1.0
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.010
0