Grade VDC Steel vs. Grade FDC Steel
Both grade VDC steel and grade FDC steel are iron alloys. Both are furnished in the hardened (H) condition. Their average alloy composition is basically identical.
For each property being compared, the top bar is grade VDC steel and the bottom bar is grade FDC steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 510 | |
| 510 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Reduction in Area, % | 50 | |
| 42 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 80 | |
| 80 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 1700 | |
| 1680 |
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 | |
| 51 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 13 | |
| 13 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.1 | |
| 7.1 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.1 | |
| 8.2 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 1.9 | |
| 1.9 |
| 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 | |
| 47 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 60 | |
| 60 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 40 | |
| 40 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 50 | |
| 50 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0.6 to 0.75 | |
| 0.6 to 0.75 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0 to 0.3 | |
| 0 to 0.3 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.060 | |
| 0 to 0.12 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 98.3 to 99.35 | |
| 98 to 99.4 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.5 to 1.0 | |
| 0.5 to 1.2 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.020 | |
| 0 to 0.030 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.15 to 0.3 | |
| 0.1 to 0.35 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.020 | |
| 0 to 0.025 |