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5052 (AlMg2.5, 3.3523, A95052) Aluminum

5052 aluminum is a 5000-series aluminum alloy: the main alloying addition is magnesium, and it is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 5052 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-5052. A95052 is the UNS number. Additionally, the EN chemical designation is AlMg2,5. And the AFNOR (French) designation is A-G2,5C.

It has been in use since 1930, but has only 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 5052 aluminum include 19 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 5052 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

46 to 83

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

68 GPa 9.9 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

1.1 to 22 %

Fatigue Strength

66 to 140 MPa 9.5 to 20 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.33

Shear Modulus

26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

120 to 180 MPa 17 to 26 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

190 to 320 MPa 27 to 46 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

75 to 280 MPa 11 to 41 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

400 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

190 °C 370 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

650 °C 1200 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

610 °C 1120 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

140 W/m-K 80 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

24 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

35 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

120 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

9.5 % relative

Calomel Potential

-760 mV

Density

2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

8.6 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)

1.7 to 69 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

41 to 590 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

50 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

19 to 33 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

27 to 38 points

Thermal Diffusivity

57 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

8.3 to 14 points

Alloy Composition

Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 5052 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 95.8 to 97.7
Magnesium (Mg)Mg 2.2 to 2.8
Chromium (Cr)Cr 0.15 to 0.35
Iron (Fe)Fe 0 to 0.4
Silicon (Si)Si 0 to 0.25
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0 to 0.1
Zinc (Zn)Zn 0 to 0.1
Copper (Cu)Cu 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 B211: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Bar, Rod, and Wire

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

ASTM B221: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Wire, Profiles, and Tubes

Environmental Degradation of Advanced and Traditional Engineering Materials, Lloyd H. Hihara et al., 2014.

EN 754-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Cold drawn rod/bar and tube. Mechanical properties

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

EN 755-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Extruded rod/bar, tube and profiles. Mechanical properties

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