For a quick and naturally brief reference of materials there is SAE AMS INDEX published every six months meaning it can’t be so expensive.
It gives AMS designation, principal composition, type of semi-fabricate and type of heat treatment-condition of supply (for metal alloys). For metals it specifies a UNS No, a commercial-trade name of alloy and a similar specification if exists (MIL, FED, ASTM, AWS etc.). It also enables inverse search, i.e. if trade name is known it is easy to find AMS No.
Here are a few examples of the Index entries:
4278 Aluminum Alloy, Alclad Sheet 5.6Zn 2.5Mg 1.6Cu 0.23Cr (Alclad 7075-0) Annealed, Fine Grained UNS #: A87075 Alloy: Alclad 7075-0 ASTM B 209
5508 Steel, Corrosion and Heat Resistant, Sheet, Strip and Plate, 13Cr 2.0Ni 3W Annealed UNS #: S41800 Alloy: Greek Ascoloy
5853 Steel, Corrosion and Heat Resistant, Bars and Wire 15Cr 25.5Ni 1.2Mo 2.1Ti 0.006B 0.30V, Consumable Electrode Melted 1800°F (982°C) Solution Treated and Work-Strengthened 160 ksi (1103 Mpa) Tensile Strength K66286 A286
This is not answering the thread primary question but I find the Index very useful for a basic material-alloy information to start with.