ForMatter/Materials/metal/Magnesium AZ31B
mat_magnesium_az31b

Magnesium AZ31B

wrought magnesium alloy, sheet/extrusion · AZ31B, Mg-Al-Zn wrought magnesium, ASTM B90
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The lightest structural metal in commercial use — about a third the density of steel and two-thirds the density of aluminum. Aluminum and zinc give it the strength to be a real material rather than a curiosity. The metal laptop chassis, camera bodies, and racing-bike sprockets are made of, when the weight budget is the main constraint and corrosion resistance can be solved by coating.

Wrought Mg-Al-Zn alloy (3% Al, 1% Zn, 0.4% Mn nominal per ASTM B90). HCP structure with limited room-temperature ductility — sheet typically warm-formed at 200–300 °C. Density 1.77 g/cm³. Tensile 260 MPa, yield 200 MPa annealed. Galvanic-corrosion vulnerable when in contact with most other metals; usually anodized (Mg-style chemical conversion) or epoxy-coated for service.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_h24290
  • tensile_strength_mpa_annealed260
  • yield_strength_mpa_h24220
  • elongation_pct_h2415
  • density_kg_m31770
source: ASTM B90; ASM Handbook

thermal

  • liquidus_c632
  • solidus_c565
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk96
source: ASM Handbook

process safety

  • machining_fire_riskreal — fine swarf is flammable and water-reactive; wet-dust collection / class-D fire protocol required

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg28
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • embodied carbon recycled kg co2e per kg2.4
  • recyclabilitymoderate — closed-loop possible but melt losses are higher than aluminum
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsASTM B90 (sheet/plate), ASTM B107 (extrusion)
visual
matte gray-silver as machined; coatings dominate the surface appearance in service
tactile
shockingly light under the hand for its volume — the recognition signal
weight perception
very light

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere metallic finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      metallic
albedo        #a0a4a8
metallic      1.00
roughness     0.25
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#a0a4a8",
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Magnesium AZ31B · finish: metallic
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_magnesium_az31b")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.3515, 0.3712, 0.3916, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Magnesium AZ31B · finish: metallic
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_magnesium_az31b", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (160, 164, 168))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     1.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Magnesium AZ31B \u00b7 finish: metallic",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.3515,
    "g": 0.3712,
    "b": 0.3916
  },
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_magnesium_az31b",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.3515,
          0.3712,
          0.3916,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 1.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.25
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Magnesium AZ31B · finish: metallic
def Material "mat_magnesium_az31b" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_magnesium_az31b/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.3515, 0.3712, 0.3916)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 1.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.250
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessCNC Milling · Sheet-Metal Bending · TIG Welding · Extrusion
Substitutes
Aluminum 5052
Aluminum 6063

Citations