SAE-AISI L6 (T61206) Low-Alloy Tool Steel

SAE-AISI L6 steel is a tool steel. L6 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. T61206 is the UNS number.

The properties of SAE-AISI L6 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 L6 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 L6 Tool Steel Hardened L6 Tool Steel

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

190 GPa 27 x 10⁶ psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

72 GPa 11 x 10⁶ psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

670 to 2090 MPa 97 to 300 x 10³ psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

250 J/g

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1450 °C 2650 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1410 °C 2570 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

42 W/m-K 24 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

11 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

7.6 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

8.7 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

3.6 % relative

Density

7.8 g/cm³ 490 lb/ft³

Embodied Carbon

2.0 kg CO₂/kg material

Embodied Energy

28 MJ/kg 12 x 10³ BTU/lb

Embodied Water

54 L/kg 6.5 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

24 to 74 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

22 to 46 points

Thermal Diffusivity

11 mm²/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

22 to 70 points

Alloy Composition

Iron (Fe)Fe		93.6 to 97.3
Nickel (Ni)Ni		1.3 to 2.0
Chromium (Cr)Cr		0.6 to 1.2
Carbon (C)C		0.65 to 0.75
Manganese (Mn)Mn		0.25 to 0.8
Silicon (Si)Si		0 to 0.5
Molybdenum (Mo)Mo		0 to 0.5
Vanadium (V)V		0 to 0.3
Copper (Cu)Cu		0 to 0.25
Phosphorus (P)P		0 to 0.030
Sulfur (S)S		0 to 0.030