SAE-AISI 1212 (G12120) Carbon Steel
SAE-AISI 1212 steel is a resulfurized carbon steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 1212 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G12120 is the UNS number.
The properties of SAE-AISI 1212 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 1212 steel to: wrought resulfurized carbon 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
140 to 180
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
11 to 28 %
Fatigue Strength
200 to 290 MPa 29 to 41 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Reduction in Area
39 to 51 %
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
280 to 370 MPa 41 to 53 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
440 to 620 MPa 63 to 89 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
260 to 460 MPa 38 to 67 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
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)
8.1 % 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 7.8 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
46 L/kg 5.5 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
64 to 110 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
180 to 560 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
15 to 22 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
16 to 20 points
Thermal Diffusivity
14 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
14 to 20 points
Alloy Composition
| Fe | 98.5 to 99.07 | |
| Mn | 0.7 to 1.0 | |
| S | 0.16 to 0.23 | |
| P | 0.070 to 0.12 | |
| C | 0 to 0.13 |
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
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