Grey Cast Iron vs. S45500 Stainless Steel

Both grey cast iron and S45500 stainless steel are iron alloys. They have 76% of their average alloy composition in common. There are 25 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (11, in this case) are not shown.

For each property being compared, the top bar is grey cast iron and the bottom bar is S45500 stainless steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness		160 to 300
Brinell Hardness		280 to 500

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		180
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		190

Elongation at Break, %		9.6
Elongation at Break, %		3.4 to 11

Fatigue Strength, MPa		69 to 170
Fatigue Strength, MPa		570 to 890

Poisson's Ratio		0.29
Poisson's Ratio		0.28

Shear Modulus, GPa		69
Shear Modulus, GPa		75

Shear Strength, MPa		180 to 610
Shear Strength, MPa		790 to 1090

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		160 to 450
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		1370 to 1850

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa		98 to 290
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa		1240 to 1700

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		280
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		270

Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C		1380
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C		1440

Melting Onset (Solidus), °C		1180
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C		1400

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		490
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		470

Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		11
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		11

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative		1.9
Base Metal Price, % relative		17

Density, g/cm³		7.5
Density, g/cm³		7.9

Embodied Carbon, kg CO₂/kg material		1.5
Embodied Carbon, kg CO₂/kg material		3.8

Embodied Energy, MJ/kg		21
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg		57

Embodied Water, L/kg		44
Embodied Water, L/kg		120

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m³		13 to 37
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m³		45 to 190

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		13
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		14

Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		25
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		24

Strength to Weight: Axial, points		5.8 to 17
Strength to Weight: Axial, points		48 to 65

Strength to Weight: Bending, points		8.7 to 17
Strength to Weight: Bending, points		35 to 42

Thermal Shock Resistance, points		6.0 to 17
Thermal Shock Resistance, points		48 to 64

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), %		3.1 to 3.4
Carbon (C), %		0 to 0.050

Chromium (Cr), %		0
Chromium (Cr), %		11 to 12.5

Copper (Cu), %		0
Copper (Cu), %		1.5 to 2.5

Iron (Fe), %		92.1 to 93.9
Iron (Fe), %		71.5 to 79.2

Manganese (Mn), %		0.5 to 0.7
Manganese (Mn), %		0 to 0.5

Molybdenum (Mo), %		0
Molybdenum (Mo), %		0 to 0.5

Nickel (Ni), %		0
Nickel (Ni), %		7.5 to 9.5

Niobium (Nb), %		0
Niobium (Nb), %		0 to 0.5

Phosphorus (P), %		0 to 0.9
Phosphorus (P), %		0 to 0.040

Silicon (Si), %		2.5 to 2.8
Silicon (Si), %		0 to 0.5

Sulfur (S), %		0 to 0.15
Sulfur (S), %		0 to 0.030

Tantalum (Ta), %		0
Tantalum (Ta), %		0 to 0.5

Titanium (Ti), %		0
Titanium (Ti), %		0.8 to 1.4