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SAE-AISI M3 Class 2 Steel vs. ZE41A Magnesium

SAE-AISI M3 class 2 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while ZE41A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (14, 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 SAE-AISI M3 class 2 steel and the bottom bar is ZE41A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 200
45
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 77
18
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 770 to 2210
210

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 260
330
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1620
640
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1570
540
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 440
970
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 26
110
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
27

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 25
18
Density, g/cm3 8.3
1.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 12
24
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 180
170
Embodied Water, L/kg 110
940

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 23
63
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 26 to 74
31
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 22 to 45
41
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 7.2
59
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 24 to 69
12

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 1.2 to 1.3
0
Chromium (Cr), % 3.8 to 4.5
0
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.25
0 to 0.1
Iron (Fe), % 75.8 to 82.3
0
Magnesium (Mg), % 0
91.7 to 95.4
Manganese (Mn), % 0.15 to 0.4
0 to 0.15
Molybdenum (Mo), % 4.8 to 6.5
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.3
0 to 0.010
Phosphorus (P), % 0 to 0.030
0
Silicon (Si), % 0.2 to 0.45
0
Sulfur (S), % 0 to 0.030
0
Tungsten (W), % 5.0 to 6.8
0
Unspecified Rare Earths, % 0
0.75 to 1.8
Vanadium (V), % 2.8 to 3.8
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0
3.5 to 5.0
Zirconium (Zr), % 0
0.4 to 1.0
Residuals, % 0
0 to 0.3