C15900 Copper vs. ASTM A387 Grade 21 Steel
C15900 copper belongs to the copper alloys classification, while ASTM A387 grade 21 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (4, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is C15900 copper and the bottom bar is ASTM A387 grade 21 steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 110 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 6.5 | |
| 21 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.34 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 43 | |
| 74 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 420 | |
| 310 to 370 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 720 | |
| 500 to 590 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 240 | |
| 230 to 350 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 210 | |
| 260 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 200 | |
| 480 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1080 | |
| 1470 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1030 | |
| 1430 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 390 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 280 | |
| 41 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 17 | |
| 13 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 48 | |
| 7.6 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 49 | |
| 8.8 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 30 | |
| 4.1 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 8.8 | |
| 7.9 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 2.8 | |
| 1.8 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 45 | |
| 23 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 310 | |
| 62 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 37 | |
| 84 to 110 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 260 | |
| 140 to 320 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 7.2 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 18 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 23 | |
| 18 to 21 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 20 | |
| 18 to 20 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 80 | |
| 11 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 26 | |
| 14 to 17 |
Alloy Composition
| Aluminum (Al), % | 0.76 to 0.84 | |
| 0 |
| Carbon (C), % | 0.27 to 0.33 | |
| 0.050 to 0.15 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0 | |
| 2.8 to 3.3 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 97.5 to 97.9 | |
| 0 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 0 to 0.040 | |
| 94.4 to 96 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0 | |
| 0.3 to 0.6 |
| Molybdenum (Mo), % | 0 | |
| 0.9 to 1.1 |
| Oxygen (O), % | 0.4 to 0.54 | |
| 0 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.025 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.5 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.025 |
| Titanium (Ti), % | 0.66 to 0.74 | |
| 0 |