5059 (AlMg5.5MnZnZr, A95059) Aluminum
5059 aluminum is a 5000-series aluminum alloy: the main alloying addition is magnesium, and it is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 5059 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-5059. A95059 is the UNS number. Additionally, the EN chemical designation is AlMg5,5MnZnZr.
It received its standard designation in 1999, making it a fairly young material.
It has the lowest thermal conductivity among the 5000-series alloys in the database.
The properties of 5059 aluminum include five 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 5059 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
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
69 GPa 9.9 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
11 to 25 %
Fatigue Strength
170 to 240 MPa 24 to 35 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
220 to 250 MPa 33 to 36 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
350 to 410 MPa 51 to 60 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
170 to 300 MPa 25 to 43 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
390 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Corrosion
65 °C 150 °F
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
210 °C 420 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
650 °C 1200 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
510 °C 960 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
110 W/m-K 62 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
24 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
29 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
95 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Density
2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
9.1 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
160 MJ/kg 67 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
1160 L/kg 140 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
42 to 75 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
220 to 650 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
36 to 42 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
41 to 45 points
Thermal Diffusivity
44 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
16 to 18 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 5059 aluminum is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of magnesium (Mg) and including zirconium (Zr). Magnesium promotes hardenability through both heat treatment and strain hardening mechanisms. It also increases susceptibility to intergranular corrosion. Zirconium is used to increase an alloy's recrystallization temperature, which increases the temperature at which the alloy can be used without permanent loss of mechanical properties.
| Al | 89.9 to 94 | |
| Mg | 5.0 to 6.0 | |
| Mn | 0.6 to 1.2 | |
| Zn | 0.4 to 0.9 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.45 | |
| Zr | 0.050 to 0.25 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.25 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.25 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.2 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B928: Standard Specification for High Magnesium Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate for Marine Service
Handbook of Aluminum vol. 2: Alloy Production and Materials Manufacturing, George Totten and D. Scott MacKenzie (editors), 2003
Aluminum: Properties and Physical Metallurgy, John E. Hatch (editor), 1984
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
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