Bronze vs Steel
Steel displaced Bronze, and 3 measured properties show why — density most clearly.
Bronze vs Steel
Bronze
Copper alloyed with tin — harder than either constituent, and the first engineered material to define an age.
Steel
Iron with a controlled, small proportion of carbon — the most-used engineered material in the world.
| Property | Bronze | Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Density | 7.4–8.9 g/cm³ higher | 7.75–8.05 g/cm³ |
| Electrical conductivity | 7.4 MS/m higher | 6.99 MS/m |
| Melting point | 830–1000 °C | 1370–1510 °C higher |
| Tensile strength Only one of the two has a figure we can stand behind, so there is nothing to compare. | Not known | 400–2000 MPa |
| Thermal conductivity Only one of the two has a figure we can stand behind, so there is nothing to compare. | Not known | 15–54 W/(m·K) |