ISO-WD32260 Magnesium vs. ASTM A209 Steel
ISO-WD32260 magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ASTM A209 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (2, 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 ISO-WD32260 magnesium and the bottom bar is ASTM A209 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 46 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 4.5 to 6.0 | |
| 34 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 150 to 190 | |
| 180 to 200 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 18 | |
| 73 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 190 to 200 | |
| 280 to 310 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 330 to 340 | |
| 420 to 460 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 230 to 250 | |
| 220 to 250 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 330 | |
| 250 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 120 | |
| 410 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 600 | |
| 1470 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 520 | |
| 1420 to 1430 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 970 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 110 | |
| 50 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 27 | |
| 13 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 28 | |
| 7.1 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 140 | |
| 8.1 to 8.2 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 13 | |
| 2.4 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 1.9 | |
| 7.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 23 | |
| 1.5 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 160 | |
| 20 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 940 | |
| 47 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 14 to 19 | |
| 120 to 130 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 560 to 700 | |
| 130 to 170 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 63 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 48 to 51 | |
| 15 to 16 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 56 to 58 | |
| 16 to 17 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 63 | |
| 13 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 19 to 20 | |
| 12 to 14 |