SAE-AISI S4 (T41904) Shock-Resisting Steel

SAE-AISI S4 steel is a tool steel. S4 is the designation in both the SAE and AISI systems for this material. T41904 is the UNS number.

The properties of SAE-AISI S4 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 S4 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 S4 Tool Steel Hardened S4 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)

670 to 2140 MPa 97 to 310 x 10³ psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

280 J/g

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

1430 °C 2610 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

1390 °C 2540 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

480 J/kg-K 0.11 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

44 W/m-K 26 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

13 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

7.4 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

8.7 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

2.2 % relative

Density

7.7 g/cm³ 480 lb/ft³

Embodied Carbon

2.0 kg CO₂/kg material

Embodied Energy

29 MJ/kg 12 x 10³ BTU/lb

Embodied Water

48 L/kg 5.8 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

25 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

24 to 77 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

22 to 48 points

Thermal Diffusivity

12 mm²/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

20 to 65 points

Alloy Composition

Iron (Fe)Fe		95.2 to 96.9
Silicon (Si)Si		1.8 to 2.3
Manganese (Mn)Mn		0.6 to 1.0
Carbon (C)C		0.5 to 0.65
Chromium (Cr)Cr		0.1 to 0.5
Vanadium (V)V		0.15 to 0.35
Phosphorus (P)P		0 to 0.030
Sulfur (S)S		0 to 0.030