The percent reduction in area measures the decrease in cross-sectional area of a tensile specimen at the point of fracture compared to its original cross-sectional area.
It is calculated using the formula:
where:
- is the initial cross-sectional area of the specimen (in square meters, m²).
- is the final cross-sectional area of the specimen at fracture (in square meters, m²).
Both the percent elongation and percent reduction in area are dimensionless quantities expressed as percentages (%), providing a measure of the ductility of a material. Higher percentages indicate greater ductility, while lower percentages suggest lower ductility