Grade VDC Steel vs. ASTM A229 Spring Steel
Both grade VDC steel and ASTM A229 spring steel are iron alloys. Their average alloy composition is basically identical. There are 25 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (7, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is grade VDC steel and the bottom bar is ASTM A229 spring steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 510 | |
| 490 to 550 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 80 | |
| 72 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 1700 | |
| 1690 to 1890 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 250 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 400 | |
| 400 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1450 | |
| 1450 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1410 | |
| 1410 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 51 | |
| 50 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 13 | |
| 12 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.1 | |
| 7.2 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.1 | |
| 8.3 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 1.9 | |
| 1.8 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.8 | |
| 7.8 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 1.4 | |
| 1.4 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 19 | |
| 19 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 47 | |
| 46 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 60 | |
| 60 to 67 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 40 | |
| 40 to 43 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 50 | |
| 54 to 60 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0.6 to 0.75 | |
| 0.55 to 0.85 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0 to 0.3 | |
| 0 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.060 | |
| 0 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 98.3 to 99.35 | |
| 97.5 to 99 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.5 to 1.0 | |
| 0.3 to 1.2 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.020 | |
| 0 to 0.040 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.15 to 0.3 | |
| 0.15 to 0.35 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.020 | |
| 0 to 0.050 |