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

Table 2 Shear strength of steel when heated

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

FAQs

What is metal strength?

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

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.

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.