TABLE 3-1: Lightweight Materials: Relative Component Costs and Weight Savings
Relative materials Relative Weight savings
Cast applications cost (per pound) component cost (Percentage)
Cast iron (base) 1.0 1.0 Base
Cast aluminum 1.8-2.2 1.0 50-60
Cast magnesium 3.0 1.0 65-75
Body structural
applications
Mild steel (base) 1.0 1.0 Base
High-strength steel 1.1 1.0^10
Aluminum 4.0 2.0 40-50
Glass fiber-reinforced
polymers 3.0 0,8a 25-35
Carbon fiber-reinforced
polymers^10
b-30c
1.25-2.25a 50-65
a Assuming low-cost resin transfer molding process is developed; with current processes, relative
component costs would be two times higher.
b Assuming 50 percent carbon fiber at $6 per prod.
c Assuming 50 percent carbon fiber at $20 per pound.
SOURCE: National Materials Advisory Board, Materials Research Agenda for the Automotive
and Aircraft Industries, NMAB-468 (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1993).