EN 1.0540 (C50) Non-Alloy Steel
EN 1.0540 steel is a carbon (non-alloy) steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. Cited properties are appropriate for the normalized condition. 1.0540 is the EN numeric designation for this material. C50 is the EN chemical designation.
It has a moderately low thermal conductivity among wrought carbon or non-alloy steels. In addition, it has a moderately low ductility and a moderately high tensile strength.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare EN 1.0540 steel 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
190
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
14 %
Fatigue Strength
210 MPa 31 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
72 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
400 MPa 58 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
660 MPa 96 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
330 MPa 48 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
400 °C 750 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1460 °C 2650 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 °C 2580 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
48 W/m-K 28 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
12 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.2 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.3 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
2.1 % relative
Density
7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.4 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
19 MJ/kg 8.2 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
47 L/kg 5.6 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
75 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
290 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
23 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
22 points
Thermal Diffusivity
13 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
21 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 97.2 to 98.9 | |
| Mn | 0.6 to 0.9 | |
| C | 0.47 to 0.55 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Mo | 0 to 0.1 | |
| P | 0 to 0.045 | |
| S | 0 to 0.045 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
EN 10250-2: Open die steel forgings for general engineering purposes - Part 2: Non-alloy quality and special steels
Microstructure of Steels and Cast Irons, Madeleine Durand-Charre, 2004
Carbon Steel Handbook, D. Gandy, 2007
Ferrous Materials: Steel and Cast Iron, Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015