Metal Mechanical Properties Chart: Shear Strength, Tensile Strength, Yield Strength

Looking for a comprehensive guide to the mechanical properties of different metals?

Look no further than this handy table developed by our team at MachineMFG. Whether you’re a professional engineer or simply curious about the materials around you, this chart is an essential resource for understanding the strength, elasticity, and other key properties of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

From industrial pure iron to high-strength aluminum alloys, this chart covers a wide range of materials and grades, providing detailed information on shear strength, tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation.

Plus, we’ve included a separate table on the shear strength of steel when heated, so you can make informed decisions about material selection and processing.

So why wait? Check out our metal mechanical properties chart today and take your understanding of materials science to the next level.

Related reading: Type of metal

To cater to the requirements of our readers, we have developed a table of mechanical properties for a range of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Related reading: Ferrous vs Non-ferrous Metals

Hope that helps!

Table of mechanical properties of ferrous materials

Table 1 Metal Strength Chart

MaterialGradeMaterial
Status
Shear
Strength
τ
(MPa)
Tensile
Strength
σb
(MPa)
Elongation
σs
(%)
Yield
Strength
δ
(MPa)
Elastic
Modulus
Е
(MPa)
Industrial pure iron for electricians C>0.025DT1
DT2
DT3
annealed18023026 — 
Electrical Silicon SteelD11
D12
D21
D31
D32
D370
D310~340
S41~48
annealed19023026 — 
Ordinary carbon steelQ195unannealed260~320315~39028~33195 
Q215270~340335~41026~31215
Q235310~380375~46021~26235
Q255340~420410~51019~24255
Q275400~500490~61015~20275
Carbon tool steel08Fannealed220~310280~39032180 
10F260~360330~45032200190000
15F220~340280~42030190 
08260~340300~44029210198000
10250~370320~46028 
15270~380340~48026280202000
20 —280~400360~5103525021000
25320~440400~55034280202000
30360~480450~60022300201000
35400~520500~65020320201000
40420~540520~67018340213500
45440~560550~70016360204000
50normalized440~580550~73014380220000
55550≥67043390
60550≥70012410208000
65600≥73010420
70600≥7609430210000
T7~T12
T7A~T12A
annealed60075010
T8Acold hardened600~950750~1200
High-quality carbon steel10Mnannealed320~460400~58022230211000
65Mn6007501240021000
Alloy structural steel25CrMnSiA
25CrMnSi
low-temperature annealed400~560500~70018950
30CrMnSiA
30CrMnSi
440~600550~750161450
850
Quality spring steel60Si2Mn
60Si2MnA
65SiWA
low-temperature annealed720900101200200000
cold hardened640~960800~1200101400
1600
Stainless steel1Cr13annealed320~380400~47021420210000
2Cr13320~400400~50020450210000
3Cr13400~480500~60018480210000
4Cr13400~480500~60015500210000
1Cr18Ni19
2Cr18Ni19
heat-treated460~520580~64035200200000
rolled, cold-hardened800~8801000~110038220200000
1Cr18Ni9TiHeat-treated softened430~550540~70040200200000

Table 2 Shear strength of steel when heated

See also  Fatigue Analysis: Essential Tips for Accurate Calculations
Steel GradeHeating temperature ℃
200500600700800900
Q195, Q215, 08, 153603202001106030
Q235, Q255, 20, 254504502401309060
Q275, 30, 355305203301609070
40, 45, 506005803801909070

Note: When determining the shear strength of a material, it is important to take into account the stamping temperature, which is typically 150~200℃ lower than the heating temperature.

Table of mechanical properties of non-ferrous metals

MaterialGradeMaterial StatusShear Strength τ
(MPa)
Tensile Strength σb
(MPa)
Elongation σs
(%)
Yield
Strength δ
(MPa)
Elastic
Modulus Е
(MPa)
Aluminum1070A
1050A 
1200
Annealed8075~1102550~8072000
Cold hardened100120~1504120~240
Aluminum manganese alloys3A21Annealed70~100110~145195071000
Semi-cold hardened100~140155~20013130
Aluminum-magnesium alloy
Aluminum-magnesium-copper alloy
SA02Annealed130~160180~23010070000
Semi-cold hardened160~200230~280210
High strength aluminum-magnesium-copper alloy7A04Annealed170250
Hardened and artificially aged35050046070000
Magnesium-manganese alloyMB1
MB8
Annealed120~140170~1903~59843600
Annealed170~190220~23012~2414040000
Cold hardened190~200240~2508~10160
Rigid aluminum2Al12Annealed105~150150~21512
Hardened with natural aging280~310400~4401536872000
Cold hardened after hardening280~320400~46010340
Pure copperT1
T2
T3
Soft1602003070108000
Hard2403003380130000
BrassH62Soft26030035380100000
Semi-hard30038020200
Hard42042010480
BrassH68Soft24030040100110000
Semi-hard28035025
Hard40040015250115000
Lead brassHPb59-1Soft3003502514293000
Hard4004505420105000
Manganese brassHMn58-2Soft34039025170100000
Semi-hard40045015
Hard5206005
Tin-phosphorus bronze
Tin-Zinc-Bronze
QSn4-4-2.5
QSn4-3
Soft26030038140100000
Hard4805503~5 
Extra-hard5006501~2546124000
Aluminum bronzeQAl17Annealed52060010186
Un-annealed5606505250115000~130000
Aluminum manganese bronzeQAl9-2Soft3604501830092000
Hard4806005500
Silicon-manganese bronzeQBi3-1Soft280~300350~38040~45239120000
Hard480~520600~6503~5540
Extra-hard560~600700~7501~2
Beryllium bronzeQBe2Soft240~480300~60030250~350117000
Hard52066021280132000~141000
Cupro-nickelB19Soft24030025
Hard3604503
Nickel silverBZn15-20Soft28035035207
Hard4005501486126000~140000
Extra-hard520650 
NickelNi-3~Ni-5Soft3504003570
Hard4705502210210000~230000
German silverBZn15-20Soft30035035
Hard4805501
Extra-hard5606501
ZincZn-3~Zn-6120~200140~230407580000~130000
LeadPb-3~Pb-620~3025~4040~505~1015000~17000
TinSn1~Sn430~4040~501241500~55000
Titanium alloyTA2Annealed360~480450~60025~30
TA3440~600550~75020~25
TA5640~680800~85015800~900104000
Magnesium alloyMB1Cold state120~140170~1903~512040000
MB8150~180230~24014~1522041000
MB1Preheat 300°C30~5030~5050~5240000
MB850~7050~7058~6241000
Silver180503081000
Fungible alloyNi29Co18400~500500~600
Copper constantanBMn40-1.5Soft400~600
Hard650
TungstenAnnealed7200700312000
Un-annealed14911~4800380000
MolybdenumAnnealed20~30140020~25385280000
Un-annealed32~3416002~5595300000

FAQs

What is metal strength?

Metal strength pertains to the ability of a metal material to resist permanent deformation and fracture under external forces.

See also  Engineering Drawing Dimensioning: Ultimate Guide

These forces can be brought about by various modes of load, such as tension, compression, bending, shear, among others.

Thus, strength can be categorized into different forms, including tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength, and shear strength.

In many cases, there exists a correlation between these different forms of strength.

Usually, tensile strength, which represents the maximum stress a specimen can endure before breaking during a tensile test, is utilized as the fundamental measure of strength.

What does metal strength include?

Metal strength refers to the maximum ability of a metal material to resist damage caused by external forces. Metals exhibit different types of strength, such as:

  • Tensile strength: Code: σb. This refers to the strength limit of a material under an external force when it’s stretched.
  • Compressive strength: Code: σbc. This refers to the strength limit when an external force is applied to compress the material.
  • Bending strength: Code: σbb. This refers to the ultimate shear strength when an external force is applied perpendicular to the material axis, causing the material to bend after the action.

For sheet metal, the strength characteristics also include shear strength, yield strength, impact performance, and both internal and external bending, among others.

What is tensile strength?

Tensile strength is a term used in the field of materials science to describe a material’s ability to resist uniform plastic deformation under tension.

It represents the maximum stress a material can bear before transitioning from uniform plastic deformation to localized concentrated deformation.

Tensile strength is also commonly used to assess a material’s overall strength and its capacity to endure static tension.

See also  Examining Tooth Fracture in Carburized and Quenched Gears: A Comparative Analysis

In the initial stage, the deformation is uniform until the maximum tensile stress limit is surpassed.

Beyond this point, the material starts to shrink, and the deformation becomes concentrated.

For brittle materials that lack uniform plastic deformation, tensile strength indicates their resilience against fracture.

The symbol for tensile strength is Rm, which used to be represented by σb in the old national standard GB/T 228-1987.

Megapascals (MPa) is the unit of measurement for tensile strength.

What is compressive strength?

Compressive strength, represented by the symbol σBC, refers to the maximum strength that a material can withstand when an external force applies pressure.

To determine the suitability of a stone for engineering purposes, it is essential to perform a mechanical strength test on the rock first.

The most critical strength test for stone is the compressive strength test.

What is bending strength?

Bending strength is the measure of a material’s ability to withstand cracking and bending. This type of strength is mainly used to evaluate brittle materials, such as ceramics.

There are two commonly used methods for measuring bending strength: the three-point bending test and the four-point bending test.

The three-point test is widely used due to its simplicity, while the four-point test involves two loading forces, making it more complex.

The value of bending strength is directly proportional to the maximum pressure applied.

What is the difference between metal strength and hardness

Although hardness and strength are separate terms, they both describe the mechanical properties of metallic materials that may vary under specific conditions.

Hardness: This term refers to a metal’s ability to resist indentation caused by hard objects, which indicates whether the metal is hard or soft.

Brinell hardness (HB), Rockwell hardness (HRC, HRB, and HRA), and Vickers hardness (HV) are commonly used hardness indices.

Strength: This term refers to a metal’s capacity to endure permanent deformation and fracture when exposed to external forces. It measures the metal’s ability to resist failure when under load.

Yield strength and tensile strength are commonly used strength indices.

Difference between metal strength and hardness:

There is a fundamental difference between metal strength and hardness.

Hardness is primarily utilized to assess and control the quality of heat treatment in metal components, while strength is a critical factor in the design and material selection of general components.

What is the strongest metal?

The strongest metals in descending order are tungsten, titanium, tritium, osmium, steel, iron, zirconium, chromium, vanadium, and tantalum.

About The Author

13 thoughts on “Metal Mechanical Properties Chart: Shear Strength, Tensile Strength, Yield Strength”

  1. Hi Shane, I’m in the process of purchasing a pneumatic press to punch a pattern from 0.5mm mild steel and corrugated tin can. The shape is that of a petal/flower 100x100mm. In your opinion, what sort of pressure capacity should I be looking out for ? Manually is extremely time consuming. Cheers, Jo.

    1. Hope this helps:
      Shear force depends on the perimeter. your pedals can probably be approximated with ovals or if they are all the same size an oval times the number.
      The oval equation is:
      p = 2pi times square root of [(a squared + b squared)/2]

      or rewritten as: P=2π√[(a^2+ b^2)/2]

      the a and the b are the length and width of the ovals.
      Multiply by number of petals = permiter
      Once you have the perimeter the punching force PF becomes:
      PF = Perimeter x Thickness x Shear Strength
      Steel cans vary from .14″ to about .11″
      So the perimeter times about .13″ gives the cross sectional area being sheared
      And low carbon steel is about 40,000 lbs/square inch
      So take the cross sectional area being sheared multiply by 40,000 and that is your punch force approximation
      thx
      mt\

  2. Metal sheeting on building walls.
    Galvalume, 26 gauge, for example.
    What shear strength, if any, does it have?
    I use it as a roofing material, only. However, many builders use it as a wall covering. I don’t think it is designed, nor strong enough, to be used as a wall covering on its own.
    Any thoughts?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top