What is the highest quality of aluminum?

Aluminium Grades Overview - 1st Choice Metals

Grade 1000

The 1000 series grades of aluminium are the purest out of all the commercial aluminium grades. Each and every grade in the 1000 series contains a minimum of 99% pure aluminium within it. This high aluminium content gives the 1000 series grades exceptional resistance strength.

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Grade 1050 is the most common grade of aluminium sheet available in the UK. Grade 1050 aluminium has the lowest strength of all the commercial grades of aluminium. It is most commonly available in H14 temper, which in technical terms is classed as half hard. 1050H14 is an extremely ductile grade of aluminium, and therefore it is most commonly used by fabricators and sheet metal workers who will bend and form the sheet into a requested shape.

Grade 2000

Often utilized in applications requiring excellent corrosion resistance and moderate strength, the 2000 series grades are known for their copper content, which significantly enhances their strength and hardness. This improved machinability makes them a popular choice in various industries, especially for forming and welding purposes.

Grade 2011 is renowned for its high performance and is predominantly available in round bars, making it suitable for a range of high-strength applications. Grade 2014, on the other hand, can be found in bar and plate forms and is favored for its superior machinability, often substituting grade 2011 in different applications. Notably, grade 2014 can be ordered from specialized suppliers when needed.

3000-grade aluminum: Known for its manganese content, this grade offers increased strength and excellent corrosion resistance, making it ideal for marine and chemical environments.

4000-grade aluminum: With high silicon content, this grade is perfect for welding applications, providing good fluidity and minimal shrinkage. It's especially suitable for the automotive and aerospace industries.

Grade 5000

Grades in the 5000 series are primarily composed of magnesium, rendering them non heat-treatable but highly resistant to saltwater corrosion, earning them the moniker 'Marine Grades.'

Grade 5083 is the strongest non heat-treatable alloy, mainly available in plate form and typically found in O condition.

Grade 5754 offers medium strength, stronger than grade 5251 but not as strong as grades 6082 or 5083. It is frequently used to produce aluminium 5 bar treadplate, also called aluminium chequer plate.

Grade 5251 is commonly supplied in sheet form and is most often found in temper H22. Previously known as NS4, grade 5251 shares many attributes with grade 1050 aluminium sheet, making it the second most popular aluminium grade in the UK today.

Grade 6000

The 6000 series grades of aluminium feature magnesium and silicon as their primary alloying elements.

Grade 6082 is widely used in commercial aluminium sections and plates, with T6 being the most common temper.

Grade 6063 is ideal for extrusion applications, valued for its medium strength and commonly available in T6 temper. In the American market, Grade 6061 serves as the equivalent to the UK's 6082 grade, with only slight differences.

Grade 7000

The 7000 series grades, known for their zinc content, are the hardest and strongest commercial aluminium grades. Grade 7075 is particularly noteworthy for its immense strength, even surpassing many mild steels. While not typically stocked, these high-strength grades can be special-ordered.

8000-grade aluminum: Featuring lithium as a primary alloying element, this advanced grade offers exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness, making it highly suitable for aerospace and transportation sectors.

Other Grades

It is a common misconception that "Aerospace grade" or "Aircraft spec" aluminium refers to a specific grade. While harder grades such as 7075, 2011, 2014, 6061, and 6082 are often used in the aerospace industry, the actual grade or specification is highly dependent on the application. Terms like "Aircraft aluminium" or "Aerospace aluminium" are used colloquially to denote a hard, machinable aluminium alloy.

Dural, an obsolete trade name for a heat-treatable aluminium copper alloy, originally contained around 4-5% copper, 0.5-1% manganese, and 0.5-1.5% magnesium, making it similar in composition to grades 2014 and 2024. Today, "Dural" is often used as a generic term to describe strong, machinable aluminium types.

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What Aluminum Grade Should I Use?

Aluminum is a common metal used for both industrial and non-industrial applications. In most cases, it can be difficult to choose the correct Aluminum grade for your intended application. If your project does not have any physical or structural demands, and aesthetics are not important, then almost any Aluminum grade will do the job.

We have compiled a short breakdown of each of the grades’ properties to provide you with a brief understanding of their many uses.

Alloy 1100: This grade is commercially pure aluminum. It is soft and ductile and has excellent workability, making it ideal for applications with difficult forming. It can be welded using any method, but it is non heat-treatable. It has an excellent resistance to corrosion and is commonly used in the chemical and food processing industries.

Alloy 2011: High mechanical strength and excellent machining capabilities are the highlights of this grade. It is often called "Free Machining Alloy (FMA)," an excellent choice for projects done on automatic lathes. The high-speed machining of this grade will produce fine chips that are easily removed. Alloy 2011 is an excellent choice for the production of complex and detailed parts.

Alloy 2014: A copper-based alloy with very high strength and excellent machining capabilities. This alloy is commonly used in many aerospace structural applications due to its resistance.

Alloy 2024: One of the most commonly used high-strength aluminum alloys. With its combination of high strength and excellent fatigue resistance, it is commonly used where a good strength-to-weight ratio is desired. This grade can be machined to a high finish, and it can be formed in the annealed condition with subsequent heat treating, if needed. The corrosion resistance of this grade is relatively low. When this is an issue, 2024 is commonly used in an anodized finish or in clad form (thin surface layer of high purity aluminum) known as Alclad.

Alloy 3003: The most widely used of all aluminum alloys. A commercially pure aluminum with added manganese to increase its strength (20% stronger than the 1100 grade). It has excellent corrosion resistance and workability. This grade can be deep drawn or spun, welded, or brazed.

Alloy 5052: This is the highest strength alloy of the more non heat-treatable grades. Its fatigue strength is higher than most other aluminum grades. Alloy 5052 has good resistance to marine atmosphere and saltwater corrosion, and excellent workability. It can be easily drawn or formed into intricate shapes.

Alloy 6061: The most versatile of the heat-treatable aluminum alloys, while keeping most of the good qualities of aluminum. This grade has a great range of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. It can be fabricated by most of the commonly used techniques, and it has good workability in the annealed condition. It is welded by all methods and can be furnace brazed. As a result, it is used in a wide variety of products and applications where appearance and better corrosion resistance with good strength are required. The Tube and Angle shapes in this grade typically have rounded corners.

Alloy 6063: Commonly known as an architectural alloy. It has reasonably high tensile properties, excellent finishing characteristics, and a high degree of resistance to corrosion. Most often found in various interior and exterior architectural applications and trim. It is very well suited for anodizing applications. The Tube and Angle shapes in this grade typically have square corners.

Alloy 7075: This is one of the highest strength aluminum alloys available. It has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio and is ideally used for highly stressed parts. This grade can be formed in the annealed condition and subsequently heat-treated if needed. It can also be spot or flash welded (arc and gas not recommended).

Don’t have time to read the blog? You can check out our video below to find out which aluminum grade to use:

For more specific applications, we have put together a table that will easily let you decide on what Aluminum grade to use for your project.

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