EN 1.1203 (C55E) Non-Alloy Steel
EN 1.1203 steel is a carbon (non-alloy) steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1.1203 is the EN numeric designation for this material. C55E is the EN chemical designation.
It has a moderately low thermal conductivity among wrought carbon or non-alloy steels. In addition, it can have a moderately high tensile strength and a moderately low ductility.
The properties of EN 1.1203 steel include two common variations. This page shows summary ranges across both of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare EN 1.1203 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
200 to 230
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
12 to 15 %
Fatigue Strength
210 to 310 MPa 31 to 45 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
72 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
420 to 480 MPa 60 to 69 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
690 to 780 MPa 100 to 110 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
340 to 480 MPa 50 to 69 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)
69 to 100 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
310 to 610 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
25 to 28 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
22 to 24 points
Thermal Diffusivity
13 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
22 to 25 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 97.1 to 98.9 | |
| Mn | 0.6 to 0.9 | |
| C | 0.52 to 0.6 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Mo | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 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
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