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5050 (AlMg1.5(C), A95050) Aluminum

5050 aluminum is a 5000-series aluminum alloy: the main alloying addition is magnesium, and it is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 5050 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-5050. A95050 is the UNS number. Additionally, the EN chemical designation is AlMg1,5(C).

It originally received its standard designation in 1954. This material is well established: the Further Reading section below cites a number of published standards, and that list is not necessarily exhaustive.

The properties of 5050 aluminum include fifteen common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare 5050 aluminum to: 5000-series alloys (top), all aluminum alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness

36 to 68

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

68 GPa 9.9 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

1.7 to 22 %

Fatigue Strength

45 to 100 MPa 6.5 to 15 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.33

Shear Modulus

26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

91 to 140 MPa 13 to 21 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

140 to 250 MPa 21 to 36 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

50 to 210 MPa 7.2 to 31 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

400 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

180 °C 360 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

650 °C 1200 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

630 °C 1160 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

190 W/m-K 110 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

24 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

50 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

170 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

9.5 % relative

Calomel Potential

-760 mV

Density

2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

8.4 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

150 MJ/kg 66 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

1190 L/kg 140 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

4.1 to 24 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

18 to 330 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

50 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

15 to 26 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

22 to 33 points

Thermal Diffusivity

79 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

6.3 to 11 points

Alloy Composition

Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 5050 aluminum is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of magnesium (Mg). Magnesium promotes hardenability through both heat treatment and strain hardening mechanisms. It also increases susceptibility to intergranular corrosion.

Aluminum (Al)Al 96.3 to 98.9
Magnesium (Mg)Mg 1.1 to 1.8
Iron (Fe)Fe 0 to 0.7
Silicon (Si)Si 0 to 0.4
Zinc (Zn)Zn 0 to 0.25
Copper (Cu)Cu 0 to 0.2
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0 to 0.1
Chromium (Cr)Cr 0 to 0.1
Residualsres. 0 to 0.15

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

ASTM B483: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Drawn Tube and Pipe for General Purpose Applications

ASTM B210: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Drawn Seamless Tubes

ASTM B547: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Formed and Arc-Welded Round Tube

ASTM B209: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate

EN 485-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Sheet, strip and plate. Mechanical properties

Aluminum Standards and Data, Aluminum Association Inc., 2013

ISO 6361-2: Wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys - Sheets, strips and plates - Part 2: Mechanical properties

EN 573-3: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Chemical composition and form of wrought products. Chemical composition and form of products