SAE-AISI A3 Steel vs. SAE-AISI A2 Steel
Both SAE-AISI A3 steel and SAE-AISI A2 steel are iron alloys. Their average alloy composition is basically identical.
For each property being compared, the top bar is SAE-AISI A3 steel and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI A2 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 74 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 700 to 2150 | |
| 710 to 2040 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 260 | |
| 260 |
| 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 | 37 | |
| 38 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 12 | |
| 11 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 8.3 | |
| 8.2 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 9.7 | |
| 9.5 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 6.0 | |
| 5.5 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.8 | |
| 7.8 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 4.4 | |
| 2.7 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 67 | |
| 38 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 78 | |
| 73 |
Common Calculations
| PREN (Pitting Resistance) | 8.9 | |
| 8.9 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 25 | |
| 25 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 25 to 77 | |
| 25 to 73 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 23 to 48 | |
| 23 to 46 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 10 | |
| 10 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 23 to 70 | |
| 25 to 71 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 1.2 to 1.3 | |
| 1.0 to 1.1 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 4.8 to 5.5 | |
| 4.8 to 5.5 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.25 | |
| 0 to 0.25 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 88.7 to 92 | |
| 89.4 to 93.3 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.4 to 0.6 | |
| 0 to 1.0 |
| Molybdenum (Mo), % | 0.9 to 1.4 | |
| 0.9 to 1.4 |
| Nickel (Ni), % | 0 to 0.3 | |
| 0 to 0.3 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.030 | |
| 0 to 0.030 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0 to 0.5 | |
| 0 to 0.5 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.030 | |
| 0 to 0.030 |
| Vanadium (V), % | 0.8 to 1.4 | |
| 0.15 to 0.5 |