SAE-AISI L3 (T61203) Low-Alloy Tool Steel

SAE-AISI L3 steel is a tool steel. L3 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. T61203 is the UNS number.

The properties of SAE-AISI L3 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 L3 steel to: tool 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.

Annealed L3 Tool Steel Hardened L3 Tool Steel

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

190 GPa 27 x 10⁶ psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

72 GPa 10 x 10⁶ psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

600 to 2250 MPa 87 to 330 x 10³ psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

250 J/g

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1450 °C 2640 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1410 °C 2560 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

43 W/m-K 25 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

13 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

7.4 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

8.5 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

2.5 % relative

Density

7.8 g/cm³ 490 lb/ft³

Embodied Carbon

1.9 kg CO₂/kg material

Embodied Energy

27 MJ/kg 12 x 10³ BTU/lb

Embodied Water

53 L/kg 6.3 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

21 to 80 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

20 to 49 points

Thermal Diffusivity

12 mm²/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

18 to 67 points

Alloy Composition

Iron (Fe)Fe		95.5 to 97.3
Chromium (Cr)Cr		1.3 to 1.7
Carbon (C)C		1.0 to 1.1
Manganese (Mn)Mn		0.25 to 0.8
Silicon (Si)Si		0.1 to 0.5
Vanadium (V)V		0.1 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P)P		0 to 0.030
Sulfur (S)S		0 to 0.030