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Powder metal FC-0208 (copper steel)
FC-0208 is an MPIF Standard 35 powder metal copper steel: iron with 1.5–3.9% copper and 0.6–0.9% carbon, pressed and sintered to shape. At 6.7 g/cm³ as sintered, FC-0208-50 reaches about 60 ksi (410 MPa) tensile with a 50 ksi (345 MPa) minimum yield. Heat treatment raises apparent hardness to HRC 20–43. It suits gears, sprockets, cams and structural parts.
- MPIF Standard 35
- FC-0208-30 to -60; FC-0208-50HT and higher HT grades
- ASTM
- B783 FC-0208
- Composition
- Fe, 1.5–3.9% Cu, 0.6–0.9% C
How does it compare?
Typical room-temperature values for FC-0208, against all 48 materials in the library.
- Tensile strength
- 410 MPa67th pct
- Density
- 6.7 g/cm³62th pct
- Relative cost
- $$$$$
Bars are relative to the strongest, densest or hottest material in the SSG library. Percentile vs all 48 materials.
- Density
- 6.7 g/cm³ · 0.2421 lb/in³
- Tensile strength
- 410 MPa · 59.5 ksi
- Hardness
- Rockwell B50–84 as sintered; Rockwell C20–43 heat-treated (apparent)
When should you use FC-0208?
Strengths
- Near net shape with little or no machining; about 97% material utilization
- Low cost per part at high volume
- Heat-treats to HRC 20–43 apparent hardness for wear
- Porosity can be oil-impregnated for self-lubricating parts
- Consistent part-to-part dimensions from hardened tooling
Watch for
- Elongation under 1% as sintered; poor impact toughness
- About 15% porosity at 6.7 g/cm³ lowers fatigue strength versus wrought steel
- Needs resin impregnation before plating to keep solution out of the pores
- Press tonnage and tooling limit part size; no undercuts or cross holes without machining
Typical parts
- Gears and sprockets
- Cams and levers
- Pulleys and hubs
- Lock and latch components
- Motor and pump parts
- Structural brackets for appliances and power tools
How FC-0208 is made into parts
Cost, finishes and design rules for each process in this material.
What does a part in FC-0208 cost?
A representative part, powdered metal. Raw material at about $2.00/kg is one line of it; process time and tooling usually matter more.
Spur gear · Powdered metal
Order total $19,120
- Tooling
- $7,938
- one-time, spread over the order
- Piece price
- $0.43
- before setup + tooling
- Lead time
- 6–9 weeks
- to first production
Size
Drag a row to adjust · click to type
Teeth2424
Module1.501.50
Face width10.010.0 mm
Quantity
Price per part falls as volume rises
Exact quantity2500025000 pcs
Material
Design checks pass
Open in builderBudgetary estimate for a representative part. Firm quotes come from principals after drawing review.
FC-0208 questions
What do the numbers in FC-0208-50 mean?
FC means iron-copper steel. 02 is the nominal copper content, about 2%. 08 is the combined carbon, 0.6–0.9%. The suffix 50 is the minimum yield strength in ksi as sintered. Heat-treated grades carry HT and a minimum tensile strength, for example FC-0208-80HT.
How strong is powder metal compared to steel?
As-sintered FC-0208-50 runs about 60 ksi (410 MPa) tensile, close to hot-rolled low-carbon steel but with much lower ductility. Heat-treated and higher-density grades exceed 100 ksi (690 MPa). For impact-loaded parts, wrought steel or a forging is the better call.
Can powder metal parts be plated?
Yes, after the pores are sealed by resin impregnation. Otherwise plating solution gets trapped and bleeds out as corrosion. Steam treatment, which forms black iron oxide, is a common low-cost alternative for corrosion resistance and sealing.
What is apparent hardness?
Apparent hardness is the Rockwell reading on porous PM material, which averages hard particles and pores, so it reads lower than the steel itself. MPIF specifies it separately from microindentation hardness, which measures the particles.
Similar materials
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