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6060 (AlMgSi, 3.3206, A96060) Aluminum

6060 aluminum is a 6000-series aluminum alloy: there is significant alloying with both magnesium and silicon, and the alloy is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 6060 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-6060. AlMgSi is the EN chemical designation. A96060 is the UNS number. Additionally, the AFNOR (French) designation is A-GS.

It originally received its standard designation in 1972.

The properties of 6060 aluminum include six 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 6060 aluminum to: 6000-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

68 GPa 9.9 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

9.0 to 16 %

Fatigue Strength

37 to 70 MPa 5.4 to 10 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.33

Shear Modulus

26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

86 to 130 MPa 13 to 19 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

140 to 220 MPa 20 to 32 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

71 to 170 MPa 10 to 24 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

400 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

160 °C 320 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

660 °C 1210 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

610 °C 1130 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

210 W/m-K 120 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

23 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

54 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

180 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

9.5 % relative

Calomel Potential

-710 mV

Density

2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

8.3 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)

13 to 24 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

37 to 210 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

50 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

14 to 23 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

22 to 30 points

Thermal Diffusivity

85 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

6.3 to 9.9 points

Alloy Composition

Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 6060 aluminum is notable for containing comparatively high amounts of magnesium (Mg) and silicon (Si). Magnesium promotes hardenability through both heat treatment and strain hardening mechanisms. It also increases susceptibility to intergranular corrosion. Silicon is used to increase strength at the expense of ductility. It also lowers the melting temperature and raises the fluidity of the alloy.

Aluminum (Al)Al 97.9 to 99.3
Magnesium (Mg)Mg 0.35 to 0.6
Silicon (Si)Si 0.3 to 0.6
Iron (Fe)Fe 0.1 to 0.3
Zinc (Zn)Zn 0 to 0.15
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0 to 0.1
Titanium (Ti)Ti 0 to 0.1
Copper (Cu)Cu 0 to 0.1
Chromium (Cr)Cr 0 to 0.050
Residualsres. 0 to 0.15

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

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

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

Aluminum: Properties and Physical Metallurgy, John E. Hatch (editor), 1984

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

ASM Specialty Handbook: Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 1993

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