SAE-AISI P2 (T51602) Low-Carbon Mould Steel
SAE-AISI P2 steel is a tool steel. P2 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. T51602 is the UNS number. It can have the lowest tensile strength among the tool steels in the database.
The properties of SAE-AISI P2 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 P2 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.
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
190 GPa 27 x 106 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
73 GPa 11 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
330 to 1980 MPa 48 to 290 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
250 J/g
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1460 °C 2670 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1420 °C 2590 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
470 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
46 W/m-K 26 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
12 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
7.3 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
8.3 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
2.7 % relative
Density
7.9 g/cm3 490 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
1.5 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
20 MJ/kg 8.6 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
51 L/kg 6.1 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
24 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
12 to 70 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
14 to 45 points
Thermal Diffusivity
12 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
11 to 65 points
Alloy Composition
Fe | 96.6 to 98.8 | |
Cr | 0.75 to 1.3 | |
Ni | 0.1 to 0.5 | |
Mo | 0.15 to 0.4 | |
Mn | 0.1 to 0.4 | |
Si | 0.1 to 0.4 | |
Cu | 0 to 0.25 | |
C | 0 to 0.1 | |
P | 0 to 0.030 | |
S | 0 to 0.030 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM A681: Standard Specification for Tool Steels Alloy
Tool Steels, 5th ed., George Roberts et al., 1998
Tool Steels: Properties and Performance, Rafael A. Mesquita (editor), 2016
ASM Specialty Handbook: Carbon and Alloy Steels, J. R. Davis (editor), 1996