What is the highest quality of aluminum?

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

A commonly used alloy with excellent corrosion resistance and moderate strength, suitable for applications requiring formability and weldability.

The 2000 series grades are known as the copper grades of aluminium, copper being the main alloying element. The addition of copper increases the alloys strength and hardness, which in turn improves its machinability.

Grade 2011 is a high performance, high strength aluminium alloy. Grade 2011 is usually supplied in round bars.

Grade 2014 is a high strength aluminium alloy, supplied in bar and plate form. It has excellent machinability and is often interchanged with grade 2011.

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3000-grade aluminum: An alloy primarily known for its manganese content, offering enhanced strength and excellent corrosion resistance, often used in marine and chemical environments.

4000-grade aluminum: Typically utilised for welding applications due to its high silicon content, providing good fluidity and minimal shrinkage, particularly suitable for automotive and aerospace industries.

Grade 5000

Magnesium is the main element used in the composition of the 5000 series grades of aluminium. The 5000 series grades of aluminium are non heat-treatable alloys. The 5000 series grades also have excellent resistance to corrosion caused by saltwater, for this reason they are often referred to as the Marine Grades of aluminium.

Grade 5083 has the highest strength of all of the non heat treatable alloys, although it is not as strong or as hard as the more common grade 6082.  Grade 5083 is primarily available in plate form, and is most commonly available in O condition.

Grade 5754 is a medium strength alloy. For comparison it is not a strong as grades 6082 or 5083, but 5754 is stronger than grade 5251. Grade 5754 is most commonly used to produce aluminium 5 bar treadplate (often referred to as aluminium chequer plate).

Grade 5251 is a medium strength alloy, usually supplied in sheet form, and is most commonly supplied in temper H22. Previously known as NS4, grade 5251 has many similar attributes to grade 1050 aluminium sheet and is probably the 2nd most popular grade of aluminium sheet used in the UK today.

Grade 6000

The 6000 grades of aluminium are also known as the magnesium and silicon grades. Magnesium and silicon are the two main alloying constituents in all 6000 grades and specifications of aluminium.

Grade 6082 is the most common grade of commercial aluminium sections & plates, whilst T6 is the most common temper.

Grade 6063 is a medium strength alloy, it is the most common grade of aluminium for extruding. As far as commercial aluminium sections are concerned, T6 is the most common temper available.

Grade 6061 aluminium is a medium strength aluminium alloy that is predominantly produced for the American market. Grade 6082 is the nearest equivalent grade to this that is readily available in the UK, with very slight differences between the two.

Grade 7000

Known as the zinc grades – zinc being the largest alloying element, the 7000 series grades are the hardest and strongest commercial grades of aluminium.

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Grade 7075 is the most common of the 7000 series grades.  It is an extremely high strength alloy;  the strongest of all commercial grades of aluminium. In fact, grade 7075 aluminium is stronger than many types of mild steel.

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8000-grade aluminum: An advanced alloy featuring lithium as the primary alloying element, offering exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness, predominantly used in aerospace and transportation sectors for lightweight structural components.

Other Grades

A common misconception is that there is an “Aerospace grade” or “Aircraft spec” of aluminium.  Various grades of aluminium from (but not limited to) the 1000 series, 2000 series, 5000 series, 6000 series and 7000 series grades of aluminium are routinely used in the aerospace industry. The aerospace industry does have a greater demand for harder grades, such as 7075, 2011, 2014, 6061 & 6082 than many other industries do, however the exact grade or specification used is very much dependant on the application.  Today phrases such as “Aircraft aluminium”, “Aerospace aluminium”, “Aerospace grade aluminium” and “Aircraft spec aluminium” are generic terms used by the masses to describe a hard, machinable aluminium alloy.

Dural is an obsolete trade name for a heat treatable aluminium copper alloy.  Also known as Duralumin, Duraluminium, Duralum & Duralium, the original Dural contained around 4 – 5% copper, 0.5 – 1% Manganese and 0.5 – 1.5% Magnesium which makes it very close in composition to grades 2014 & 2024.  Today the term “Dural” is often used as a generic term to describe any type of aluminium that has good strength and is suitable for machining.

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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 the 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 in order 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 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 a good resistance to marine atmosphere and salt water 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 it 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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