EN 1.7106 (56SiCr7) Silicon-Chromium Steel
EN 1.7106 steel is an alloy steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1.7106 is the EN numeric designation for this material. 56SiCr7 is the EN chemical designation.
It has a very low melting temperature among EN wrought alloy steels. In addition, it has a very low density and a fairly low base cost.
The properties of EN 1.7106 steel include six 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 EN 1.7106 steel to: EN wrought 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 500
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
72 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
660 to 2020 MPa 95 to 290 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
280 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
410 °C 760 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1430 °C 2610 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1390 °C 2540 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
480 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
46 W/m-K 27 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
13 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.4 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.6 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
2.1 % relative
Density
7.7 g/cm3 480 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.5 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
20 MJ/kg 8.5 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
47 L/kg 5.6 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
25 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
24 to 73 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
22 to 46 points
Thermal Diffusivity
13 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
20 to 61 points
Alloy Composition
Among alloy steels, the composition of EN 1.7106 steel is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of silicon (Si). Silicon content is typically governed by metallurgical processing concerns, and not its effects on final material properties. However, it does have a modest strengthening effect.
| Fe | 95.9 to 97 | |
| Si | 1.6 to 2.0 | |
| Mn | 0.7 to 1.0 | |
| C | 0.52 to 0.6 | |
| Cr | 0.2 to 0.45 | |
| P | 0 to 0.025 | |
| S | 0 to 0.025 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
EN 10089: Hot rolled steels for quenched and tempered springs - Technical delivery conditions
Manufacture and Uses of Alloy Steels, Henry D. Hibbard, 2005
Ferrous Materials: Steel and Cast Iron, Hans Berns and Werner Theisen, 2008
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015