ASTM A204 Molybdenum Steel
ASTM A204 steel is an alloy steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. It has a fairly high thermal conductivity among wrought alloy steels in the same category. In addition, it has a moderately low embodied energy and a moderately low electrical conductivity.
The properties of ASTM A204 steel include three common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare ASTM A204 steel to: wrought alloy steels in the same category (top), all iron alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
160 to 180
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
18 to 22 %
Fatigue Strength
200 to 220 MPa 29 to 32 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
330 to 360 MPa 47 to 53 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
520 to 590 MPa 75 to 85 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
290 to 330 MPa 41 to 48 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
410 °C 760 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1470 °C 2670 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 to 1430 °C 2600 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
52 W/m-K 30 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
13 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.2 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.2 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
2.4 % relative
Density
7.9 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.5 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
20 MJ/kg 8.6 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
47 L/kg 5.6 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
90 to 95 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
220 to 290 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
18 to 21 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
18 to 20 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
15 to 17 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM A204: Standard Specification for Pressure Vessel Plates, Alloy Steel, Molybdenum
Pressure Vessels: External Pressure Technology, 2nd ed., Carl T. F. Ross, 2011
Manufacture and Uses of Alloy Steels, Henry D. Hibbard, 2005
Ferrous Materials: Steel and Cast Iron, Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015