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6065 (AlMg1Bi1Si, A96065) Aluminum

6065 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. 6065 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-6065. AlMg1Bi1Si is the EN chemical designation. And A96065 is the UNS number.

It received its standard designation in 2005, making it a fairly young material.

The properties of 6065 aluminum include three 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 6065 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

4.5 to 11 %

Fatigue Strength

96 to 110 MPa 14 to 16 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.33

Shear Modulus

26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

190 to 230 MPa 27 to 34 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

310 to 400 MPa 45 to 58 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

270 to 380 MPa 39 to 55 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

400 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

180 °C 350 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

640 °C 1180 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

590 °C 1090 °F

Specific Heat Capacity

890 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

170 W/m-K 97 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

23 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

43 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

140 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

11 % relative

Density

2.8 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

1200 L/kg 140 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

17 to 34 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

540 to 1040 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

14 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

49 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

31 to 40 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

36 to 43 points

Thermal Diffusivity

67 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

14 to 18 points

Alloy Composition

Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 6065 aluminum is notable for including lead (Pb) and bismuth (Bi). Lead is used to improve machinability at the cost of toxicity and a decrease in weldability. Bismuth is used to improve machinability at the cost of a decrease in weldability.

Aluminum (Al)Al 94.4 to 98.2
Bismuth (Bi)Bi 0.5 to 1.5
Magnesium (Mg)Mg 0.8 to 1.2
Silicon (Si)Si 0.4 to 0.8
Iron (Fe)Fe 0 to 0.7
Copper (Cu)Cu 0.15 to 0.4
Zinc (Zn)Zn 0 to 0.25
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0 to 0.15
Chromium (Cr)Cr 0 to 0.15
Zirconium (Zr)Zr 0 to 0.15
Titanium (Ti)Ti 0 to 0.1
Lead (Pb)Pb 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

Handbook of Aluminum vol. 2: Alloy Production and Materials Manufacturing, George Totten and D. Scott MacKenzie (editors), 2003

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

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