In solar mounting system industry, mostly used aluminum alloy is 6005, 6061, 6063. What is the difference?
Metals where the dominant alloying element is aluminum (Al, also spelled aluminium). Aluminum alloys are subdivided by fabrication method (wrought or cast, typically). Wrought alloys are further subdivided by series or composition family.
Wrought aluminum alloys are identified by a 4-digit integer Aluminum Association designation. In European standards, the same number is prepended with “EN AW-“. Casting alloys use different designation systems in Europe and North America.
Please refer to the wiki page for detailed compositions:
The type of aluminum grade you choose ultimately depends on how you intend to use the metal. Your intended use allows you to rank the characteristics of each grade from most important to least important. This will help you narrow down the list of suitable grades. For example, if weldability is most important to your project, but strength is not, it may make sense to choose Alloy 1100, as this aluminum grade has excellent Weldability, but is not typically used for high-strength or high-pressure applications.
Use the quick reference chart at the end of this article to quickly and easily find the aluminum grade that is right for you.
When choosing an aluminum grade, consider if the following are important factors:
- Formability or Workability
- Corrosion Resistance
- Heat Treating
- Typical end use applications
Is Formability or Workability (the fashioning parts through mechanical deformation) an important factor?
- Alloy 1100 – Excellent Formability / Workability
- Alloy 2011 – Good Formability / Workability
- Alloy 2024 – Good Formability / Workability
- Alloy 3003 – Excellent Formability / Workability
- Alloy 5052 – Good Formability / Workability
- Alloy 6061 – Good Formability / Workability
- Alloy 6063 – Good Formability / Workability
- Alloy 7075 – Poor Formability / Workability
Is the Weldability of the Aluminum an important factor?
- Alloy 1100 – Excellent Weldability
- Alloy 2011 – Poor Weldability
- Alloy 2024 – Poor Weldability
- Alloy 3003 – Excellent Weldability
- Alloy 5052 – Good Weldability
- Alloy 6061– Good Weldability
- Alloy 6063– Good Weldability
- Alloy 7075– Poor Weldability
Is the Machining of the Aluminum an important factor?
- Alloy 1100– Good Machinability (Best if Hard Temper)
- Alloy 2011– Excellent Machinability
- Alloy 2024– Fair Machinability (Best in Annealed Condition)
- Alloy 3003– Good Machinability
- Alloy 5052– Fair Machinability (Better if Hard Temper)
- Alloy 6061– Good Machinability (T4 and T6 Tempers only)
- Alloy 6063– Fair Machinability
- Alloy 7075– Fair Machinability (Best in Annealed Condition)
Is Corrosion Resistance of the Aluminum an important factor?
- Alloy 1100– Excellent Corrosion Resistance
- Alloy 2011– Poor Corrosion Resistance
- Alloy 2024– Poor Corrosion Resistance
- Alloy 3003– Good Corrosion Resistance
- Alloy 5052– Excellent Corrosion Resistance (Preferred in marine applications)
- Alloy 6061– Excellent Corrosion Resistance
- Alloy 6063– Good Corrosion Resistance
- Alloy 7075– Average Corrosion Resistance
Is Heat Treating of the Aluminum an important factor?
- Alloy 1100– Does not respond to Heat Treatment
- Alloy 2011– Can be Heat Treated
- Alloy 2024– Can be Heat Treated
- Alloy 3003– Does not respond to Heat Treatment
- Alloy 5052– Does not respond to Heat Treatment
- Alloy 6061– Can be Heat Treated
- Alloy 6063– Can be Heat Treated
- Alloy 7075– Can be Heat Treated
Is the Strength of the Aluminum an important factor?
- Alloy 1100– Not used for high-strength or high-pressure applications
- Alloy 2011– A high mechanical strength alloy
- Alloy 2024– A high strength aluminum alloy
- Alloy 3003– Medium strength
- Alloy 5052– Medium to high strength alloy
- Alloy 6061– Medium to high strength alloy
- Alloy 6063– Medium strength
- Alloy 7075– A high strength aluminum alloy
Typical end use applications of Aluminum Grades:
- Alloy 1100– Metal Spinning and General Fabrication
- Alloy 2011– General Machining
- Alloy 2024– Aerospace Applications
- Alloy 3003– Food & Chemical Equipment – General Fabrication
- Alloy 5052– Marine Applications – General Fabrication
- Alloy 6061– Structural Applications – General Fabrication
- Alloy 6063– Architectural Applications
- Alloy 7075– Aerospace Applications
Quick Reference Chart – Choosing an Aluminum Grade
|Formability or Workability||Weldability||Machining||Corrosion Resistance||Heat Treating||Strength||Typical Applications|
|Alloy 1100||Excellent||Excellent||Good||Excellent||No||Low||Metal Spinning|
|Alloy 2011||Good||Poor||Excellent||Poor||Yes||High||General Machining|
|Alloy 2024||Good||Poor||Fair||Poor||Yes||High||Aerospace Application|
|Alloy 3003||Excellent||Excellent||Good||Good||No||Medium||Chemical Equipment|
|Alloy 5052||Good||Good||Fair||Excellent||No||Medium||Marine Applications|
|Alloy 6061||Good||Good||Good||Excellent||Yes||Medium||Structural Applications|
|Alloy 6063||Good||Good||Fair||Good||Yes||Medium||Architectural Applications|
|Alloy 7075||Poor||Poor||Fair||Average||Yes||High||Aerospace Applications|
Disclaimer: Please note this information is not to be used for design purposes, and in no event shall Solaracks be liable for any damages arising from the misuse of this information.