AZ63A (M11630) Magnesium
AZ63A magnesium is a magnesium alloy. AZ63A is the ASTM designation for this material. M11630 is the UNS number. It has a very low embodied energy among magnesium alloys. In addition, it has a fairly low melting temperature and can have a moderately low thermal conductivity.
The properties of AZ63A magnesium include four 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 AZ63A magnesium to other magnesium alloys (top) 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
46 GPa 6.7 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
2.2 to 8.0 %
Fatigue Strength
76 to 83 MPa 11 to 12 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
18 GPa 2.6 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
110 to 160 MPa 16 to 23 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
190 to 270 MPa 28 to 39 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
81 to 120 MPa 12 to 18 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
350 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
120 °C 250 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
610 °C 1130 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
450 °C 850 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.3 %
Specific Heat Capacity
980 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
52 to 65 W/m-K 30 to 38 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
26 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
12 to 15 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
59 to 74 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
12 % relative
Density
1.8 g/cm3 110 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
22 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
150 MJ/kg 66 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
970 L/kg 120 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
3.7 to 16 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
71 to 160 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
66 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
29 to 41 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
40 to 51 points
Thermal Diffusivity
29 to 37 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
11 to 16 points
Alloy Composition
| Mg | 88.6 to 92.1 | |
| Al | 5.3 to 6.7 | |
| Zn | 2.5 to 3.5 | |
| Mn | 0.15 to 0.35 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.3 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.25 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.010 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.3 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
Welding and Joining of Magnesium Alloys, Liming Liu (editor), 2010
ASTM B80: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Sand Castings
Essential Readings in Magnesium Technology, Suveen N. Mathaudhu et al. (editors), 2014
Environmental Degradation of Advanced and Traditional Engineering Materials, Lloyd H. Hihara et al., 2014.
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993