Aluminum grade & temper guide
Six common grades on one page: what each alloy is good at, how temper changes it, and how to write a specification your supplier can quote without back-and-forth.
Grade comparison at a glance
| Grade | Tensile strength | Common temper | Weldability | Machinability | Corrosion resistance | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6061 | 310 MPa | T6 / T6511 | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | Aluminum Sheets & Plates |
| 6082 | 340 MPa | T6 / T651 | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | Thick-Wall & Structural Tube (Heavy-Wall Pipe) |
| 6063 | 200 MPa | T5 / T6 | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | Aluminum Extrusion Profiles |
| 5052 | 230 MPa | H32 | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | Aluminum Coils |
| 5083 | 317 MPa | H111 / H321 | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ | Aluminum Sheets & Plates |
| 1060 | 80 MPa | H112 / O | ★★★★★ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ | Aluminum Bars & Rods (Round Bar) |
Temper designations, decoded
- O — annealed, softest and most formable; bending and deep-drawing work.
- H14 — strain-hardened to half hard; sheet and coil at moderate strength.
- T4 — solution heat-treated and naturally aged; forms well before it ages.
- T5 — cooled from the press and artificially aged; extruded profiles and tube.
- T6 — solution heat-treated and artificially aged; the default for machined parts.
- T651 — T6 plus stress relief by stretching; plate that must stay flat after machining.
- T6511 — the same stress relief applied to extruded rod and bar.
How to choose
Four questions decide the grade before price enters the conversation.
- Strength first: 6082-T6 and 6061-T6 carry structural loads; 6063-T5 and 1060 suit frames, trim and non-critical parts.
- Machining first: 6061-T6 and 6082-T6 cut cleanly; specify T651 or T6511 plate and bar where flatness matters.
- Welding or forming first: 5052-H32, 5083 and 6063 weld and bend better than 6061; T4 forms before it ages.
- Environment first: 5052 and 5083 resist marine and chemical exposure; 6061 anodises well for visible parts.
Standards, tolerance and documents
Quote against the standard you actually need — ASTM B209, B221, B234 or B241, or EN 485, 755 or 754 — and state temper, tolerance class and length. Dimensional tolerance follows the ordered standard; cut-to-size material starts from a single piece, regular stock ships in 3–7 days, and a mill test certificate covering chemistry and mechanical properties accompanies every lot. Machined parts are held from ±0.02 mm and run through first-article approval.
Everything listed here is regular civil-use aluminium. Under item 1C202 of the Chinese dual-use export control list, an aluminium alloy is controlled when it is capable of an ultimate tensile strength of 460 MPa or more at 20 °C and is tube or cylindrical solid bar (including forgings) with an outside diameter greater than 75 mm. The technical note is explicit that "capable of" covers the alloy both before and after heat treatment, so shipping in the annealed temper does not move it out of scope. We do not quote such items through this website.
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Tell us grade, temper, size, quantity and application; we come back with the available range and lead time.