MatWeb, The Online Materials Database

Steels, General Properties

Subcategory: Metal

Key Words: carbon steels, alloy steels

Component    Wt. % C 0.03 - 1.25   Fe 80 - 98   Mn 0.2 - 16   P Max 0.05   S Max 0.05   Si 0 - 0.5

Material Notes:
Steel compositions vary widely. Steels in general have a lower carbon content than cast irons, and lower amounts of impurities like phosphorus and sulfur. The composition chart above represents typical ranges for basic steel constituents. Other alloying elements such as Boron, Chromium, Cobalt, Columbium (Niobium), Copper, Molybdenum, Nickel, Nitrogen, Selenium, Tantalum, Titanium, Tungsten, and Vanadium are added to improve corrosion, high temperature, and mechanical properties of steel. The properties listed below reflect typical properties for Steels. In general, properties such as density, thermal conductivity, and electrical resistivity do not vary greatly with composition or heat treatment, whereas properties such as tensile strength, elongation, and hardness are highly dependent on composition and heat treatment.

Physical Properties	Metric	English	Comments
Density	7.8 - 8 g/cc	0.282 - 0.289 lb/in³	Density usually ranges from 7.8 - 7.9 g/cc for carbon and low alloy steels. Stainless steels typically have densities around 8 g/cc.
Mechanical Properties
Hardness, Brinell	121	121	Varies widely with composition and heat treatment.
Hardness, Knoop	140	140	Varies widely with composition and heat treatment.
Hardness, Vickers	126	126	Varies widely with composition and heat treatment.
Tensile Strength, Ultimate	420 MPa	60900 psi	This is the value for AISI 1020, a mild steel. Ultimate tensile strength values can range from 295 - 2400 MPa, depending on composition and heat treatment.
Tensile Strength, Yield	350 MPa	50800 psi	AISI 1020 Steel. Yield strength varies as Ultimate Tensile Strength values, from 200 - 2100 MPa.
Elongation at Break	15 %	15 %	AISI 1020. Generally as hardness and tensile strength goes up, elongation goes down.
Modulus of Elasticity	200 GPa	29000 ksi
Bulk Modulus	140 GPa	20300 ksi
Poisson's Ratio	0.25	0.25	Calculated
Machinability	65 %	65 %	for 1020 steel. Varies from 0 - 100, Based on 100% machinability for AISI 1212 steel.
Shear Modulus	80 GPa	11600 ksi
Electrical Properties
Electrical Resistivity	1.7e-005 ohm-cm	1.7e-005 ohm-cm
Thermal Properties
CTE, linear 20°C	9.5 - 12.6 µm/m-°C	5.28 - 7 µin/in-°F	steels generally range between 9.5-12.6 µm/m°C
CTE, linear 250°C	11.7 µm/m-°C	6.5 µin/in-°F	average over the range 0-250°C
CTE, linear 500°C	12.8 µm/m-°C	7.11 µin/in-°F	average over the range 0-500°C
CTE, linear 1000°C	13.9 µm/m-°C	7.72 µin/in-°F	average over the range 0-1000°C
Specific Heat Capacity	0.47 J/g-°C	0.112 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity	44 - 52 W/m-K	305 - 361 BTU-in/hr-ft²-°F