SAE-AISI 1020 (S20C, G10200) Carbon Steel
SAE-AISI 1020 steel is a carbon (non-alloy) steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1020 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G10200 is the UNS number.
It has a fairly high electrical conductivity and can have a moderately low tensile strength among wrought carbon or non-alloy steels.
The properties of SAE-AISI 1020 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 SAE-AISI 1020 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
120 to 130
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
17 to 28 %
Fatigue Strength
180 to 250 MPa 26 to 36 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Reduction in Area
45 to 57 %
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
280 MPa 40 to 41 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
430 to 460 MPa 62 to 67 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
240 to 380 MPa 34 to 55 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
400 °C 750 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1460 °C 2670 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 °C 2590 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
52 W/m-K 30 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
12 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
11 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
12 % 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
45 L/kg 5.4 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
72 to 100 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
150 to 380 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
15 to 16 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
16 to 17 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
13 to 14 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 99.08 to 99.52 | |
| Mn | 0.3 to 0.6 | |
| C | 0.18 to 0.23 | |
| S | 0 to 0.050 | |
| P | 0 to 0.040 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM A29: Standard Specification for Steel Bars, Carbon and Alloy, Hot-Wrought, General Requirements for
Microstructure of Steels and Cast Irons, Madeleine Durand-Charre, 2004
Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels and High Performance Alloys, ASM Handbook vol. 1, ASM International, 1993
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