Aluminium-silicon based casting alloys have received an attention for high electrical and thermal conductivity applications, however relatively low conductivity of Al-Si alloys often limits the application. Efforts have been made to develop new high conductivity aluminium casting alloys containing no or less silicon. In this study Al-Zn-Fe based alloys were selected as the new alloys, and the effect of Mg additions on their properties and casting characteristics were investigated. As the magnesium content was increased, the tensile strength of Al-2Zn-0.2Fe based alloy was remarkably increased, while the electrical conductivity was deteriorated. It was observed that the fluidity of the alloys was generally inversely proportional to the Mg content but the hot cracking resistance was rather proportional to it. Cooling curve analyses were carried out to measure the actual solidification range and dendrite coherency temperature.