SAE-AISI 1046 (G10460) Carbon Steel
SAE-AISI 1046 steel is a carbon (non-alloy) steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1046 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G10460 is the UNS number.
It has a fairly high electrical 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 SAE-AISI 1046 steel include three 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 SAE-AISI 1046 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 to 210
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
14 to 17 %
Fatigue Strength
240 to 390 MPa 35 to 56 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Reduction in Area
39 to 50 %
Shear Modulus
72 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
410 to 450 MPa 59 to 65 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
660 to 740 MPa 96 to 110 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
370 to 610 MPa 53 to 88 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
400 °C 750 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1460 °C 2660 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 °C 2590 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
51 W/m-K 30 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
11 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
7.8 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)
91 to 95 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
360 to 990 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
23 to 26 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
22 to 23 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
23 to 25 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 98.4 to 98.9 | |
| Mn | 0.7 to 1.0 | |
| C | 0.43 to 0.5 | |
| 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
Cold-Formed Steel Structures to the AISI Specification, Gregory J. Hancock et al., 2001
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
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