SAE-AISI 50B46 (G50461) Boron Steel
SAE-AISI 50B46 steel is an alloy steel formulated for primary forming into wrought products. Cited properties are appropriate for the annealed condition. 50B46 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. G50461 is the UNS number.
It has a moderately low base cost among the SAE-AISI wrought steels in the database.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare SAE-AISI 50B46 steel to: SAE-AISI wrought 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
160
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
21 %
Fatigue Strength
220 MPa 32 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
72 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
340 MPa 49 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
540 MPa 79 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
310 MPa 45 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
410 °C 760 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1460 °C 2650 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 °C 2580 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
47 W/m-K 27 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
13 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.1 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.2 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
1.9 % relative
Density
7.8 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.4 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
19 MJ/kg 8.1 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
47 L/kg 5.6 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
99 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
260 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
19 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
19 points
Thermal Diffusivity
13 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
16 points
Alloy Composition
Among alloy steels, the composition of SAE-AISI 50B46 steel is notable for including boron (B). Boron is used to improve hardenability. It has a substantial effect when added in even tiny amounts.
| Fe | 97.7 to 98.5 | |
| Mn | 0.75 to 1.0 | |
| C | 0.44 to 0.49 | |
| Cr | 0.2 to 0.35 | |
| Si | 0.15 to 0.35 | |
| S | 0 to 0.040 | |
| P | 0 to 0.035 | |
| B | 0.00050 to 0.0030 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM A752: Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wire Rods and Coarse Round Wire, Alloy Steel
ASTM A322: Standard Specification for Steel Bars, Alloy, Standard Grades
Boron in Steel, S. K. Banerji and J. E. Morral (editors), 1980
ASTM A29: Standard Specification for Steel Bars, Carbon and Alloy, Hot-Wrought, General Requirements for
ASM Specialty Handbook: Carbon and Alloy Steels, J. R. Davis (editor), 1996
Manufacture and Uses of Alloy Steels, Henry D. Hibbard, 2005
Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, 2nd ed., George Krauss, 2015