ASTM A285 Grade A Carbon Steel
ASTM A285 grade A is a type of ASTM A285 carbon steel. Cited properties are appropriate for the as-fabricated (no temper or treatment) condition. It has the lowest strength and highest ductility compared to the other variants of ASTM A285 carbon steel.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare ASTM A285 grade A to: wrought carbon or non-alloy 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
Brinell Hardness
110
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
34 %
Fatigue Strength
150 MPa 22 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
250 MPa 37 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
380 MPa 55 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
190 MPa 27 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
400 °C 750 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1470 °C 2670 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1430 °C 2600 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
53 W/m-K 31 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
12 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.0 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.0 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
1.8 % relative
Density
7.9 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.4 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
18 MJ/kg 7.8 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
46 L/kg 5.4 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
110 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
94 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
13 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
15 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
12 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 98.8 to 100 | |
| Mn | 0 to 1.0 | |
| C | 0 to 0.17 | |
| P | 0 to 0.035 | |
| S | 0 to 0.035 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM A285: Standard Specification for Pressure Vessel Plates, Carbon Steel, Low- and Intermediate-Tensile Strength
Pressure Vessels: External Pressure Technology, 2nd ed., Carl T. F. Ross, 2011
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
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015