Material Property Lookup
Pulls the full property sheet for one of the 31 alloys on the Alloys page: carbon and alloy steels, stainless and tool steels, aluminum, copper alloys, titanium, cast iron and zinc. Designers and buyers use it for a first comparison when choosing a material, or to remind themselves what an alloy on a drawing is like to machine, weld and heat treat. To filter all the alloys by a property instead of picking one by name, use the filter on the Alloys page.
What the sheet shows
There is nothing to calculate: the page shows the alloy’s row from the Alloys page’s table, whose sources are listed on that page. Most properties start with a one-word rating (Low, Medium, High; or Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent) and add a figure or a remark.
- Category and Type / Family: the alloy’s class, whether it is ferrous or non-ferrous, and its base metal.
- Machinability: a percentage is a machinability rating, the cutting speed relative to a reference alloy at 100 %. Steels are rated against free-machining B1112 steel and copper alloys against C360 free-cutting brass. The row names the baseline where it differs.
- Strength: a typical ultimate tensile strength, sometimes with yield, for the condition given in the row (annealed, cold drawn, heat treated or a temper such as T6).
- Electrical Conductivity: in % IACS, the percentage of the conductivity of annealed copper.
- Creep Resistance: a rough upper service temperature for long-term load.
- Thermal Expansion: the linear coefficient near room temperature, in µm of growth per meter per °C.
Limits and common mistakes
- The sheet is for comparing and shortlisting, not for design. Strength depends strongly on condition and section size; take design values from the material specification or a design handbook.
- Ratings compare alloys across families only roughly. “Good” weldability for an aluminum alloy doesn’t mean it welds like mild steel.
- Relative cost is a general guide. Price and availability change with form, size and the market.
Worked example
A drawing calls for a shaft in 4140. Before quoting, a shop wants to know how it machines and whether it can be welded to a mounting plate.
- Choose Material 4140 Steel and press Solve. The Solution shows, among other rows:
Machinability: Medium (65%)
Strength: High (655 MPa tensile)
Weldability: Fair - Requires preheat/PWHT
Heat Treatable: Yes (through-hardening)
So 4140 cuts at about two-thirds of the speed of free-machining steel, and welding it needs preheat and post-weld heat treatment to avoid cracking. A bolted joint, or a weldable steel such as 1018 for the plate, may be the simpler choice. The 655 MPa is about what annealed 4140 gives; quenched and tempered bar is much stronger, so check the condition on the drawing.