Steel Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)
Fe-Co 50 (1J22A) is a vanadium-free Fe-Co binary soft-magnetic alloy that keeps high saturation but has markedly lower ductility and workability than V-added Permendur.
Reference datasheet — Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Values for the CR condition
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) tempers and conditions
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) is supplied in 4 conditions, soft to hard. CR is the default FabDigit quotes; the values on this page are for it.
Compare all 4 conditionsHide
| Condition · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness | Conductivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Solution annealed | Pick after all stamping/machining is done: gives full soft-magnetic performance (Bs ≈ 2.35 T, low Hc) but the ordered B2 structure leaves the part very brittle. | 350 | 520 | 2 | 93 HRB | 27 % IACS |
Hot rolled | Bar and thick-section supply for machined pole pieces and cores, delivered soft enough to turn/grind before the customer's final magnetic anneal. | 380 | 560 | 4 | 14 HRC | 25 % IACS |
Rapid cooled / quenched from ~750–800 °C | Choose when some ductility is needed for bending, shearing or light forming — fast cooling suppresses B2 ordering, at the cost of lower permeability until re-annealed. | 400 | 620 | 8 | 20 HRC | 19 % IACS |
CRDefault Cold rolled | Standard supply condition for thin lamination strip: hard, work-hardened and disordered enough to stamp, magnetic properties developed later by the user's final anneal. | 800 | 900 | 1.5 | 32 HRC | 23 % IACS |
What is Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)?
Fe-Co 50 (1J22A) is a vanadium-free Fe-Co binary soft-magnetic alloy that keeps high saturation but has markedly lower ductility and workability than V-added Permendur. It is used where hard cold-rolled laminations or simple stamped shapes are acceptable and cost or vanadium-free chemistry is a factor; forms include cold-rolled strip, annealed and water-quenched sheet and hot-rolled stock. Cold-rolled material is hard and brittle at about 800 MPa yield, 900 MPa tensile, 1.5% elongation and 32 HRC, with service to 400 °C. Formability (10) and machinability (20) are the lowest in this family and weldability is poor, so choose Permendur 1J22 when any real forming or joining is required. Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) has a density of 8.2 g/cm³ (0.296 lb/in³), heavier than 98% of steel grades. It melts at 1,470°C (2,678 °F). Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) has a yield strength of 800 MPa (116 ksi) and a tensile strength of 900 MPa (131 ksi) — stronger than 86% of steel grades. Elongation at break is 1.5% and the elastic modulus is 210 GPa (30.5 Msi).
What is Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) used for?
- magnetic pole pieces
- high-flux solenoid cores
- specialty relay armatures
Advantages
- High electrical conductivity — 23 % IACS, better than 100% of steel grades
- High strength — 800 MPa (116 ksi), better than 86% of steel grades
Limitations
- Limited ductility — 1.5%, worse than 99% of steel grades
- High embodied carbon — 8.5 kg CO₂/kg, worse than 99% of steel grades
- Difficult to machine — 20/100, worse than 97% of steel grades
- Low fracture toughness — 30 MPa·√m (27.3 ksi·√in), worse than 96% of steel grades
- Limited formability — 10/100, worse than 95% of steel grades
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) properties
Typical room-temperature values for Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)-CR; bars are the position among steel grades.
Physical3
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) has a density of 8.2 g/cm³ (0.296 lb/in³), heavier than 98% of steel grades. It melts at 1,470°C (2,678 °F).
Mechanical16
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) has a yield strength of 800 MPa (116 ksi) and a tensile strength of 900 MPa (131 ksi) — stronger than 86% of steel grades. Elongation at break is 1.5% and the elastic modulus is 210 GPa (30.5 Msi).
Thermal6
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) is rated for continuous service to 400°C (752 °F). It conducts heat at 43 W/m·K (24.8 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 51% of steel grades. Thermal expansion is 9.5 µm/m·K (5.28 µin/in·°F).
Electrical3
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) conducts electricity at 23 % IACS, better than 100% of steel grades.
Chemical & Environmental3
Corrosion resistance is not recommended (14/100), better than 70% of steel grades.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) takes about 110 MJ of energy and emits 8.5 kg of CO₂ — more than 99% of steel grades. Typical recycled content is 25%.
Manufacturability8
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)'s machinability is poor (20/100, worse than 97% of steel grades); weldability poor (20/100); formability not recommended (10/100).
Common Calculations5
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Strength versus weight in the steel family
Yield strength against density for every steel grade FabDigit runs. Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) is highlighted; hover a dot for its name, or open the interactive family chart.
Working with Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)
Is Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) easy to machine?
Machine in the quenched/disordered or hot-rolled annealed state with sharp carbide tooling, rigid setups, low speed and flood coolant — ordered material chips and cracks; grinding is preferred for finished pole faces.
Can Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) be welded?
Poor: resistance/laser tack or EB welding only, with post-weld high-temperature anneal; the fusion zone and HAZ order on cooling and crack readily, and any weld degrades local permeability.
Can Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) be formed, bent or molded?
Blank and stamp thin strip in the cold-rolled hard or rapidly cooled condition with tight die clearance; avoid bending fully annealed material, and re-anneal in dry hydrogen after all forming.
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| Conominal 50 % Co binary | 48.5 – 50.5 | 49.5 |
| C | ≤ 0.03 | 0.01 |
| Mn | ≤ 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Si | ≤ 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Niresidual | ≤ 0.3 | |
| Vdeliberately not added — distinguishes this grade from 1J22/Permendur V | ≤ 0.1 | 0 |
| S | ≤ 0.02 | |
| P | ≤ 0.02 | |
| Fe | balance |
What surface finishes work on Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)?
No anodizing — protect with phosphating, oxide/varnish lamination coating, electroless nickel or thin electroplate; keep interlaminar coatings thin because low resistivity already increases eddy-current loss.
Surface treatments FabDigit runs on steel parts — pick them in the quote configurator or call them out on the drawing. Each links to its datasheet in the surface-finish library (thickness, specs, call-out, material verdicts).
Organic Coating
Black / Phosphate
Thermal Spray
Equivalent designations
Standards and trade names that resolve to Steel Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) in FabDigit's catalog. Equivalence is nominal — check the exact specification when certification matters.
- Also called
- Fe-Co 50
- Similar grades
- 1J22A
How much does Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) cost?
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) is a high-cost steel ($$$$), pricier than about 78% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) — frequently asked
What is Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) used for?
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) is typically used for magnetic pole pieces, high-flux solenoid cores and specialty relay armatures. In short: vanadium-free Fe-Co alloy; high saturation, low ductility; grinding preferred over machining.
What is the yield strength of Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)?
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) has a typical yield strength of 800 MPa (116 ksi) and a tensile strength of 900 MPa (131 ksi) — stronger than 86% of steel grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 4 listed tempers.
Is Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) easy to machine?
Not especially — machinability is rated poor (20/100, worse than 97% of steel grades). Machine in the quenched/disordered or hot-rolled annealed state with sharp carbide tooling, rigid setups, low speed and flood coolant — ordered material chips and cracks; grinding is preferred for finished pole faces.
Can Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) be welded?
Not readily — weldability is rated poor (20/100). Poor: resistance/laser tack or EB welding only, with post-weld high-temperature anneal; the fusion zone and HAZ order on cooling and crack readily, and any weld degrades local permeability.
What surface finishes work on Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)?
No anodizing — protect with phosphating, oxide/varnish lamination coating, electroless nickel or thin electroplate; keep interlaminar coatings thin because low resistivity already increases eddy-current loss.
Can Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) be formed, bent or molded?
Blank and stamp thin strip in the cold-rolled hard or rapidly cooled condition with tight die clearance; avoid bending fully annealed material, and re-anneal in dry hydrogen after all forming.
What is the maximum service temperature of Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)?
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) is rated for continuous use to about 400°C (752 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
What is the difference between Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)-CR and Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed)-A?
CR is the default condition — standard supply condition for thin lamination strip: hard, work-hardened and disordered enough to stamp, magnetic properties developed later by the user's final anneal. A: pick after all stamping/machining is done: gives full soft-magnetic performance (Bs ≈ 2.35 T, low Hc) but the ordered B2 structure leaves the part very brittle. Yield strength is 800 MPa in CR versus 350 MPa in A.
How much does Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) cost?
Fe-Co 50 (unalloyed) is a high-cost steel ($$$$), pricier than about 78% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- ASM Handbook Vol. 2 — Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials (Soft Magnetic Alloys) — ASM International (1990)
- Fe-Co 50 / Permendur strip technical data — Vacuumschmelze / Carpenter Technology (comparative Fe-Co data) (2022)
- Soft magnetic Fe-Co alloy property compilations (Bozorth, Ferromagnetism) — IEEE Press reissue (1993)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.