1000 Series - Pure aluminum

Aluminum 1000 alloys are composed primarily of pure aluminum (about 99.5%) and small amounts of other elements, such as copper, magnesium and zinc.

Alloy 1000: Consists of 99.0-99.5% pure aluminum and contains no copper. It is used in applications that require a lightweight, corrosion resistant material with good mechanical properties.

Alloy 1050: Contains a small amount of copper (about 0.05%) which is added to improve corrosion resistance and thermal stability. In general, 1050 aluminum is slightly more expensive than 1000 aluminum due to the presence of copper. It is used to produce sheets, plates and pipes.

Alloy 1100: Contains only small amounts of copper. It is generally used in applications that require a material that is lightweight, corrosion resistant and easy to work with, such as sheet metal, profile, pipe and beverage can manufacturing.

Alloy 1250: Composed primarily of pure aluminum and small amounts of other elements such as zinc, copper, magnesium and nickel. This alloy is very strong and light, and is used in many applications that require high mechanical strength and good dimensional stability.

Alloy 1350: Contains low amounts of silicon and other elements. It is usually used in applications that require a light weight, corrosion resistant material with good electrical properties, such as the manufacture of marine, aerospace, electronic components and cables.

2000 Series - Avional or Duralumin - with copper

The 2000 aluminum alloys are mainly composed of pure aluminum alloyed with copper and small quantities of elements such as silicon, magnesium and nickel. They have high mechanical properties, good corrosion resistance and good dimensional stability.

Alloy 2011: (Cu 4.5-6.0% + Mn 0.2-0.8% + Pb) characterized by excellent workability characteristics with machine tools and high strength, such as mechanical parts machined at high speed, screws and turned pieces.

Alloy 2014: (Cu 3.9-5.0% + Si 0.5-0.9% + Mn 0.4-1.2% + Mg 0.2-0.8%) easily workable in certain tempers, it is among the strongest aluminum alloys available, as well as having a high hardness. On the other hand, it is difficult to weld, as it is prone to cracking. Suitable for aircraft structures, truck chassis, military vehicles, aerospace fittings, high strength structural components.

Alloy 2017: (Cu 3.5-4.5% + Si 0.2-0.8% + Mn 0.4-1.0% + Mg 0.4-1.0%) has good workability characteristics at machine tools, high strength, moderate ductility and good resistance to atmospheric corrosion. Suitable for mechanical parts, shoe moulds.

Alloy 2024: (Cu 3.8-4.9% + Mn 3.8-4.9% + Mg 1.2-1.8%): has good machinability characteristics with machine tools, high resistance to high temperatures and toughness, good resistance to atmospheric corrosion. Used for structural parts with high toughness requirements, critical mechanical parts, parts working at temperatures up to 180°C.

Alloy 2030: (Cu 3.3-4.5% + Mn 0.2-1.0% + Mg 0.5-1.3% + Pb) is recommended for all applications where good workability combined with high mechanical characteristics are required. It is particularly suitable for high speed machining on automatic lathes.

Alloy 2090: enriched with copper, nickel and magnesium, it is ideal for reinforcements and bulkheads of aircraft floors, fuselages.

Alloy 2117: enriched with copper, silicon, magnesium and molybdenum, it is used for applications that require high mechanical strength and good corrosion resistance.

Alloy 2219: (Cu 5.8-6.8%+Mn 0.2-0.4%) has high strength, but is generally less resistant to corrosion and more difficult to weld than other types of aluminum alloys, is widely used for supersonic aircraft fuselage and structural elements.

Alloy 2618: (Cu 1.8-2.6%+Mg 1.2-1.8%+Ni) offers good workability and has a good resistance to atmospheric attacks. Suitable for aerospace, military and high-tech applications.

3000 series - Aluminum with manganese

Alloy 3003: it is the most used aluminum alloy due to its excellent characteristics (corrosion resistance and workability). Commonly used in chemical equipment, kitchen equipment, radiators, decorative trim, storage tanks, piping.

Alloy 3004: Similar to alloy 3003, except that approximately 1% manganese is added. It can be cold worked (but not heat treated) to produce products with higher strength but lower ductility. Like most other aluminum manganese alloys, 3003 is a general-purpose alloy with moderate strength, good workability and good corrosion resistance. It is commonly rolled and extruded, but typically not forged. The possibility of making it very thin makes it ideal for the production of beverage cans.

Alloy 3005: Thanks to the high content of manganese (1.0% -1.5%) and silicon, this alloy has great resistance to corrosion, it is in fact defined as anti-rust aluminium. Used for applications in humid conditions (air conditioners, refrigerators, car bottoms) and for building materials or aluminum with color treatments, or for kitchen utensils, processing and storage devices for food and chemical products, tanks and naval transport storage liquids.

Alloy 3105: Aluminum with manganese between 0.5% and 1.5%, which significantly improves the mechanical characteristics while maintaining good plastic deformability. It has intermediate values both from a mechanical and a plastic point of view. Applications are: automotive industry, air conditioning and ventilation systems, residential cladding, carpentry and paneling, heat exchangers, cookware, packaging, roofing, pipes, drawing works.

4000 series - Aluminum with silicon

Alloys of this class have good corrosion resistance. Their mechanical characteristics, while not reaching such high values as those found in copper alloys, are nonetheless good, so they are particularly suited to the construction of parts that are not mechanically stressed but which have to work in severe corrosion conditions.

Alloy 4006 and 4007: have low silicon content (<2%), with or without added manganese. Its thermodynamic characteristics are ideal for the application of glazes at 550°C, where rapid drying and cooling are required. The main use is for enameled kitchen utensils.

Alloy 4004, 4104 and 4043A: with increased content of silicon and various other alloying elements, they are rolled in layers with the 3000 and 6000 series alloys, and are used as a facing material in the production of automobile radiators, natural gas liquefaction equipment, etc. Alloy 4043A is used as a filler material in welds.

Alloy 4032: Contains 12% silicon and is particularly suitable for molded pistons; its main advantages are the good heat resistance, the low thermal expansion coefficient and the high elastic modulus.

5000 Series – Peraluman - Aluminum with magnesium

It has good heat resistance, excellent ductility, machinability and corrosion resistance. They are "hardening" alloys whose mechanical characteristics can be increased by cold rolling and not by heat treatment.

The mechanical characteristics are lower than the 2000 Series, but the excellent corrosion resistance and good weldability make these alloys particularly suitable for the production of aluminum bodies.

Alloy 5005: (Mg 0.5-1.1%) is a typical rolling alloy, with medium-low mechanical characteristics and excellent anodizing results. Applications: furniture, construction, industry, chemistry, packaging, marine structures, structural parts, welded structures resistant to marine corrosion (bonding and piping), special nuts and bolts, accessories.

Alloy 5052: (Mg 2.2-2.8% + Cr) Exceptional corrosion resistance against seawater and salt spray makes it a prime candidate for large, fault-sensitive marine structures such as vessel tanks liquefied natural gas tankers. Additional applications are: architecture, general sheet metal work, heat exchangers, piping, floor panels, lampposts, appliances, rivets and cables.

Alloy 5056: (Mg 4.5-5.6%) Offers superior strength and corrosion resistance over alloys 5052 and 3003. Uses include aircraft floors, aircraft plumbing and trailing edges, missile wings, fan housings, airframes fuel, fuselage components, helicopter rotor blades and marine bulkhead panels.

Alloy 5083: (Mg 4.0-4.9% + Mn 0.5-1.0%) characterized by excellent values of resistance to oxidation and corrosion, good formability, weldability by fusion, but not exceptional mechanical performance. The alloy exhibits excellent toughness at both room and low temperatures.

Applications: structural parts, paneling and coatings with medium stress and corrosion resistant, pressure vessels, trucks and tankers, shipbuilding, plating and piping resistant to marine corrosion, marine applications, special bolts, plates, wheels, cryogenic applications, equipment mechanical, applications that do not require very high static mechanical values but good resistance to fatigue.

Alloy 5086: (Mg 3.5-4.5%) have higher strength than 5052 or 5083 and its mechanical properties vary significantly with hardening and temperature. Good weld results and good seawater corrosion properties make this alloy extremely popular in marine applications.

Alloy 5154: (Mg 3.1-3.9%) Excellent resistance to corrosion, good weldability and malleability, medium-high strength (greater than alloy 5754), high resistance to stress and good anodizing properties. Suitable for welded structures, tanks, pressurized vessels, tanks, truck bodies.

Alloy 5454: (Mg 2.4-3.0%) was developed for high temperature applications, without becoming sensitive to stress corrosion cracking. It is also suitable for welding together with the 6000 series and is recommended for a wide range of general and structural industrial applications, where high operating temperatures are required.

Alloy 5754: (Mg 2.6-3.6%) characterized by excellent values of resistance to oxidation and corrosion in general, the mechanical characteristics are modest, the formability is high. Weldable by fusion, it is usually used in the form of thin sheets. Applications similar to alloy 5083.

6000 Series – Anticorodal - with magnesium and silicon

The main characteristics of the 6000 series alloys are: good hot workability (rolling, extrusion, forging), good resistance to outdoor corrosion, good mechanical characteristics (which can be improved by adding copper or silicon), good electrical weldability, good cold workability (profile bending, deep drawing) and pleasant surface appearance after polishing and anodic oxidation.

Alloy 6026: it is particularly suitable for high-speed machining on automatic lathes. It has good corrosion resistance, medium-high mechanical characteristics, good aptitude for decorative anodic oxidation but also for hard oxidation for industrial use. It is also used in hot stamping. Applications: automotive, electrical and electronic sectors, hot forging, medium-stressed structures with good resistance to corrosion, doors and windows, furnishings and anodisable products.

Alloy 6060: (Si 0.3-0.6%) easy to extrude and which allows the creation of profiles of great complexity. It has sufficient workability, excellent aptitude for both decorative, protective and thick anodic oxidation, high resistance to atmospheric corrosion, good resistance to marine corrosion and excellent weldability. Applications: wide use in construction and in the creation of architectural details of great visual impact and effective thermal-acoustic insulation. Also widely used in transport in general. In construction, protective anodizing is recommended, especially in seaside areas and areas with high atmospheric pollution. Also used for doors and windows, furnishings, decorations that require an excellent appearance together with discrete mechanical characteristics.

Alloy 6061: (Si 0.4-0.8% + Cu 0.15-0.4%) characterized by not very high strength, good corrosion resistance, high toughness even at low temperatures and excellent weldability. It is typically used in the form of sheets, plates, bars and used in structures that require corrosion resistance such as trucks, boats and railway vehicles.

Alloy 6063: (Si 0.2-0.6%) easy to extrude, allows the creation of profiles of great complexity. It has sufficient workability, excellent aptitude for anodic and decorative oxidation, high resistance to atmospheric and marine corrosion and excellent weldability. Applications: Electronics and pneumatics, medium-stressed structures with good resistance to corrosion, anodisable windows and furnishings.

Alloy 6082: (Si 0.7-1.3% + Mn 0.4-1.0%) has medium mechanical characteristics, but high resistance to corrosion and excellent weldability. Applications: medium-stressed structures with good corrosion resistance, doors and windows, anodisable furnishings, stressed structural parts for land and sea transport, anti-impact side bars, door frames, hydraulic systems and scaffolding, platforms, screws and rivets, details for nuclear plants, packaging, food industry.

7000 Series – Ergal - Aluminum with zinc

These alloys are widely used in the aerospace sector and in structural applications. They are divided into 2 categories, with and without copper. Those with copper have very high mechanical performance but cannot be welded, while those without have a remarkable self-hardening power, which make them suitable for making welded frames.

Alloy 7020: (Mg 1.0-1.4% + Zn 4.0-5.0%) has high mechanical and stable characteristics over time, used in the construction of components for motorcycles, cars, hydraulic groups, military vehicles, railways heavily stressed structures.

Alloy 7049: (Cu 1.2-1.9% + 2.1- 3.1% + Zn 7.2-8.4%) has high resistance to stress, corrosion and breakage and high workability. Especially used in the rocket or aircraft industry, forged accessories for aircraft and missiles, landing gear cylinders and extrusions.

Alloy 7050: (Cu 2.0-2.6% + 1.9-2.6% + Zn 5.7-6.7% + Zr), is characterized by very high resistance values, both static and fatigue, high hardenability even on high thicknesses, high fracture toughness results, good resistance to stress corrosion cracking, excellent workability with machine tools associated with high dimensional stability. It is used in the form of plates especially for aerospace use.

Alloy 7075: (Cu 1.2-2.0% + 2.1-2.9% + Zn 5.1-6.1%) is characterized by being the lightest and most impact resistant aluminum alloy, to efforts, weight and torsion. It is also the aluminum alloy least subject to thermo-expansion and therefore more suitable for use in outdoor environments since it better tolerates changes in temperature (hot and cold). The use is almost exclusively for aerospace and firearms.

8000 Series - Aluminum with mixed alloys

Particular alloys composed of mixed elements capable of conferring different performances.

Alloy 8011: The main alloy metal of this alloy is lithium; the result is a lower density, an excellent response to fatigue, good static resistance and toughness even at low temperatures. The resistance to crack formation makes this alloy particularly suitable for aerospace applications. Bottle caps and radiators are made from 8011 alloy sheets.

Alloy 8079: (Si 0.05-0.30%; Fe 0.1.3%; Cu 0.05%; Zn 0.10%) has high strength, good elongation and good diffusion pressure and it has the advantages of moisture resistance, air tightness and abrasion toughness.

Alloy 8090: (Si 0.20%; Fe 0.30%; Cu 1.1.6%; Mn 0.10%; Mg 0.1.3%; Cr 0.10%; Zn 0.25%) it has low density and medium strength with excellent mechanical properties. It is used as an advanced material in the design of high-tech parts for the aerospace industry. The alloy is also used in defense and armament systems.