ASTM A216 Cast Carbon Steel
ASTM A216 cast steel is a carbon steel formulated for casting.
The properties of ASTM A216 cast 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 A216 cast steel to: cast carbon steels (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
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
25 to 27 %
Fatigue Strength
170 to 230 MPa 25 to 33 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Reduction in Area
39 %
Shear Modulus
72 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
500 to 570 MPa 73 to 83 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
230 to 310 MPa 33 to 45 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
400 °C 750 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1450 to 1460 °C 2650 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1410 °C 2580 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
49 to 52 W/m-K 29 to 30 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
12 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.1 to 7.2 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.2 to 8.3 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
1.8 % relative
Density
7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.4 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
18 MJ/kg 7.8 to 7.9 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
45 L/kg 5.4 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
110 to 120 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
140 to 250 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
18 to 20 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
18 to 20 points
Thermal Diffusivity
13 to 14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
16 to 18 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM A216: Standard Specification for Steel Castings, Carbon, Suitable for Fusion Welding, for High-Temperature Service
Carbon Steel Handbook, D. Gandy, 2007
ASM Specialty Handbook: Carbon and Alloy Steels, J. R. Davis (editor), 1996
Ferrous Materials: Steel and Cast Iron, Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015