ASTM A285 Grade B Carbon Steel
ASTM A285 grade B is a type of ASTM A285 carbon steel. Cited properties are appropriate for the as-fabricated (no temper or treatment) condition. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare ASTM A285 grade B 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
120
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
32 %
Fatigue Strength
160 MPa 24 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
270 MPa 40 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
420 MPa 60 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
210 MPa 30 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)
110 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
15 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
16 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
13 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 98.7 to 100 | |
| Mn | 0 to 1.0 | |
| C | 0 to 0.22 | |
| 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