SAE-AISI 1021 (G10210) Carbon Steel
SAE-AISI 1021 steel is a carbon (non-alloy) steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1021 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G10210 is the UNS number.
The properties of SAE-AISI 1021 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 1021 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
130 to 150
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
17 to 27 %
Fatigue Strength
190 to 300 MPa 28 to 43 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Reduction in Area
46 to 54 %
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
310 to 320 MPa 45 to 47 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
480 to 530 MPa 69 to 76 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
260 to 450 MPa 37 to 65 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
7.0 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.0 % 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 7.9 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
46 L/kg 5.5 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
84 to 110 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
180 to 530 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
17 to 19 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
17 to 18 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
15 to 17 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 98.8 to 99.22 | |
| Mn | 0.6 to 0.9 | |
| 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