SAE-AISI P4 (T51604) Low-Carbon Mould Steel

SAE-AISI P4 steel is a tool steel. P4 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. T51604 is the UNS number.

The properties of SAE-AISI P4 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 P4 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 P4 Tool Steel Hardened P4 Tool Steel

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

190 GPa 28 x 10⁶ psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

74 GPa 11 x 10⁶ psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

390 to 1980 MPa 56 to 290 x 10³ psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

260 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

41 W/m-K 24 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

12 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

8.1 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

9.3 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

4.4 % relative

Density

7.8 g/cm³ 490 lb/ft³

Embodied Carbon

1.8 kg CO₂/kg material

Embodied Energy

23 MJ/kg 10 x 10³ BTU/lb

Embodied Water

68 L/kg 8.1 gal/lb

Common Calculations

PREN (Pitting Resistance)

7.0

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

24 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

14 to 70 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

15 to 45 points

Thermal Diffusivity

11 mm²/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

13 to 64 points

Alloy Composition

Iron (Fe)Fe		92.3 to 95.3
Chromium (Cr)Cr		4.0 to 5.3
Molybdenum (Mo)Mo		0.4 to 1.0
Manganese (Mn)Mn		0.2 to 0.6
Silicon (Si)Si		0.1 to 0.4
Copper (Cu)Cu		0 to 0.25
Carbon (C)C		0 to 0.12
Phosphorus (P)P		0 to 0.030
Sulfur (S)S		0 to 0.030