Is magnesium the new gold?


Magnesium is 33% lighter than aluminum, 60% lighter than titanium, and 75% lighter than steel. Yet for many applications it’s stronger per unit volume than all three of those structural metals.  Magnesium can also be cast into various mechanical parts and replace aluminum alloys for virtually anything you want to make lighter and stronger.




The automobile industry is starting to use more magnesium in various auto parts due to the looming CAFE standards and EU emissions standards.  The US EPA CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards require automakers to increase average fleet miles per gallon by 15% to 31.3 by 2014 and 25% to 34.1 by 2016 from the current 27.3 average mpg.   In addition, the Obama administration’s new CAFE standards require vehicles to average 54.5 mpg by 2025. That’s a 100% improvement from where we are today!  With these tough laws in place, automakers are looking to magnesium to shave the vehicle weight drastically in order to meet these stringent mpg guidelines.  Wheels, engine blocks, panels, and even the entire roof top can be made from magnesium alloys.

The Corvette Z06 uses magnesium roof components to minimize mass. It also uses a magnesium engine cradle.  With the help of magnesium parts, the Corvette Z06 is one of the lightest high-performance vehicles available on the market.  Ford is also doing a lot of work with magnesium. Ford Explorer, the 2011 North American Truck of the Year, uses magnesium seat frames for its third-row passenger seats. Ford recently announced that its F-150 scheduled to debut in 2014 would use extensive aluminum and magnesium in its design.  The Chrysler Group employs magnesium in the interiors of its Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Liberty, Compass, and Patriot models.  Its instrument panels and front consol are made out of a single-piece magnesium die cast.  Volkswagen AG, one of the pioneers of using magnesium in its auto parts, uses magnesium gearbox and clutch housing in many of its models, including the Golf models.  These are just a few examples of what automobile companies are doing with magnesium and how it’s impacting our lives.


Everyone wants lighter and thinner laptops, cameras, and cell phones that are durable enough to withstand the daily wear and tear.  Magnesium can make a big difference for these fragile products.  The new HP EliteBook uses a magnesium base and aluminum-clad magnesium case and display enclosure that protects the laptop from the usual drop, shock, heat, vibration, humidity, and pressure as it protects the display from expensive repairs.  Canon’s new professional EOS D50 SLR digital camera is protected by a magnesium casing allowing the camera to resist moisture better than its competitors and it weighs just 25.7 ounces.  Not only is magnesium the best metal with the strength to weight ratio, but it is also 100 times better than plastic for heat dissipation.