SAE 1042 Carbon Steel
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Key Engineering Properties
Representative source rows, qualified by their reported conditions. Inspect the tables below for all values, limits, and source notes.
Engineering Summary
SAE 1042 is a medium-carbon structural steel with 0.40-0.47% carbon, commonly specified for forged crankshafts, axles, and induction-hardened components.
Recognized Aliases
Source-backed commercial trade name and short designations cataloged in canonical data.
SAE 1042 Carbon Steel Specifications & Designations
Standard Designations & Applicable Specifications — Semantically classified designations distinguishing primary standard identifiers, commercial trade names, and applicable specification references.
| System | Identifier | Standard System Name | Classification Notes & Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAEPRIMARY | 1042 | Society of Automotive Engineers | —Ref: Practical Data for Metallurgists, 19th edition |
| AISI | 1042 | American Iron and Steel Institute | —Ref: Practical Data for Metallurgists, 19th edition |
| UNS | G10420 | Unified Numbering System | —Ref: Practical Data for Metallurgists, 19th edition |
| Standards Body | Specification Code | Specification Title / Scope | Relationship Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAE | SAE 1042 Carbon Steel Engineering Datasheet | Applicable specification reference. | Specification Reference |
SAE 1042 Carbon Steel Chemical Composition
Chemical Composition (Weight %) — Elemental limits and values from the cited source. Preserves exact semantic limits (minimums, maximums, and ranges).
| Element | Symbol | Atomic No. | Semantic Basis | Specified Value | Unit | Metallurgical Notes & Qualification | Data Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | Fe | 26 | BALANCE | Balance | wt% | Ref: Metallus | VERIFIED |
| Carbon | C | 6 | RANGE | 0.40 – 0.47 | wt% | Ref: Metallus | VERIFIED |
| Manganese | Mn | 25 | RANGE | 0.60 – 0.90 | wt% | Ref: Metallus | VERIFIED |
| Phosphorus | P | 15 | MAXIMUM | ≤ 0.03 | wt% | Ref: Metallus | VERIFIED |
| Sulfur | S | 16 | MAXIMUM | ≤ 0.04 | wt% | Ref: Metallus | VERIFIED |
SAE 1042 Carbon Steel Physical Properties
Source-specific physical properties. Test temperatures are shown only where reported.
| Property Parameter | Canonical SI Value | Semantic Basis | Test Temperature / Context Range | Source Raw Reference | Source Reference | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 7.85 g/cm³ | TYPICAL | 7.85 g/cm³ | Metallus | VERIFIED | |
| Elastic Modulus | 205 GPa | TYPICAL | 205 GPa | Metallus | VERIFIED | |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 dimensionless | TYPICAL | 0.29 dimensionless | Metallus | VERIFIED |
SAE 1042 Carbon Steel Thermal & Thermodynamic Properties
Phase change temperatures, thermal conductivity, specific heat, mean coefficients of thermal expansion across standardized temperature ranges, and recommended thermal processing windows.
| Property Parameter | Canonical SI Value | Semantic Basis | Test Temperature / Context Range | Source Raw Reference | Source Reference | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specific Heat Capacity | 486 J/(kg·K) | TYPICAL | 486 J/(kg·K) | Metallus | VERIFIED | |
| Thermal Conductivity | 49.8 W/(m·K) | TYPICAL | 49.8 W/(m·K) | Metallus | VERIFIED |
SAE 1042 Carbon Steel Mechanical Properties
Contextual Mechanical Properties & Tempers: Engineering strength, ductility, and hardness values grouped by product form, temper, and section thickness. Mechanical properties are contextual and not isotropic averages.
| Product Form | Temper / Condition | Section Size | Tensile (UTS) | Yield Strength | Elongation | Shear Strength | Fatigue Strength | Hardness (Scales Preserved) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar | Cold Drawn Bar (19 to 32 mm)Source values and qualifiersUltimate Tensile Strength: ≥ 610 MPa (MINIMUM)ASTM A108 / ASTM E8Metallus — p118, Estimated Minimum Properties for Cold Drawn Bars Reduction of Area: ≥ 35 % (MINIMUM)ASTM A108 / ASTM E8Metallus — p118, Estimated Minimum Properties for Cold Drawn Bars | — | ≥ 610 MPa | — | — | — | — | — | VERIFIED |
| Bar | Cold Drawn Bar (19 to 32 mm)Source values and qualifiersYield Strength: ≥ 510 MPa (MINIMUM)ASTM A108 / ASTM E8 (0.2% offset)Metallus — p118, Estimated Minimum Properties for Cold Drawn Bars | — | — | ≥ 510 MPa | — | — | — | — | VERIFIED |
| Bar | Cold Drawn Bar (19 to 32 mm)Source values and qualifiersElongation at Break: ≥ 12 % (MINIMUM)ASTM A108 / ASTM E8Metallus — p118, Estimated Minimum Properties for Cold Drawn Bars | — · in 50 mm (2 in) | — | — | ≥ 12 % | — | — | — | VERIFIED |
| Bar | Cold Drawn Bar (19 to 32 mm)Source values and qualifiersHB Hardness: ≤ 212 HB (TYPICAL)Metallus — p118, Estimated Minimum Properties for Cold Drawn Bars | — | — | — | — | — | — | ≤ 212 HB | VERIFIED |
SAE 1042 Carbon Steel Equivalent & Comparable Grades
Comparable Grades & Cross-References: Carefully classified cross-reference relationships for SAE 1042 Carbon Steel. Comparable does not mean equivalent.
| Related Material | Family | Relationship Classification | Metallurgical Notes & Differences | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAE 1045 Carbon Steel | Steel | Commonly Compared | Narrowly lower carbon variant of 1045 providing balanced response for induction-hardened shafts and gears.Materials serve different design priorities (e.g. higher strength vs superior corrosion resistance or cost). | VERIFIED | Side-by-Side Compare → |
SAE/AISI Medium-Carbon Steel Cluster (1030–1055)
Quench-and-temper and induction-hardenable engineering steels (0.30%–0.55% C). Ordered by carbon content, balancing forgeability with heat-treated core strength.
Sources
Sources & Provenance Trail: Authoritative reference publications, standards specifications, and data registers cited across this material record.
Reviewed factual transcription from primary producer engineering technical literature.
Reviewed factual transcription from primary producer engineering technical literature.
Reviewed factual transcription from primary producer engineering technical literature.
Reviewed factual transcription from primary producer engineering technical literature.