ZK61A (M16610) Magnesium
ZK61A magnesium is a magnesium alloy. ZK61A is the ASTM designation for this material. M16610 is the UNS number. It has a moderately high density among magnesium alloys. In addition, it has a fairly high electrical conductivity and a fairly high thermal conductivity.
The properties of ZK61A magnesium 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 ZK61A magnesium to other magnesium alloys (top) 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
46 GPa 6.7 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
5.8 to 7.1 %
Fatigue Strength
120 to 140 MPa 17 to 20 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
18 GPa 2.6 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
170 to 180 MPa 25 to 26 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
290 to 310 MPa 42 to 45 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
180 to 200 MPa 27 to 29 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
330 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
120 °C 250 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1180 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
530 °C 980 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.3 %
Specific Heat Capacity
960 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
120 W/m-K 69 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
27 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
29 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
130 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
13 % relative
Density
1.9 g/cm3 120 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
23 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
160 MJ/kg 70 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
940 L/kg 110 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
15 to 19 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
370 to 420 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
62 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
42 to 45 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
50 to 53 points
Thermal Diffusivity
65 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
17 to 18 points
Alloy Composition
| Mg | 92.1 to 93.9 | |
| Zn | 5.5 to 6.5 | |
| Zr | 0.6 to 1.0 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.010 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.3 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
Advances in Wrought Magnesium Alloys: Fundamentals of Processing, Properties and Applications, Colleen Bettles and Matthew Barnett (editors), 2012
ASTM B403: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Investment Castings
Welding and Joining of Magnesium Alloys, Liming Liu (editor), 2010
ASTM B80: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Sand Castings
Essential Readings in Magnesium Technology, Suveen N. Mathaudhu et al. (editors), 2014
Environmental Degradation of Advanced and Traditional Engineering Materials, Lloyd H. Hihara et al., 2014.
Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993