Aluminum is normally alloyed with several different elements to improve mechanical or chemical properties. As a result, there is a wide variety of alloy elements There are also combinations of these causes aluminum grades. An aluminum numbering system is used to help us understand all these combinations.

What is Aluminum Numbering System?

Aluminum Union is the organization that created the naming system and protects the naming system. There are many different rules for labeling various aluminum alloys. First, it is important to know whether the aluminum alloy is forged or cast.

Wrought Iron Aluminum

Forged aluminum alloys use a 4-digit system. The first digit is used to determine the primary alloying element. For example, 1XXX alloy indicates mostly pure aluminum alloy, while 6XXX alloy indicates that a significant amount of magnesium and silicon is added to aluminum. Below is a table for different alloying elements than forged aluminum:

1xxx Pure aluminum

2xxx Virgin

3xxx Manganese

4xxx Silicon

5xxx Magnesium

6xxx Magnesium and Silicon

7xxx Zinc

8xxx Other

The second number in the forged aluminum numbering system indicates a special modification to one of the alloying elements. These controls are registered in IADS and require specific IADS documents. The third and fourth digits in the forged alloy aluminum designation system are used to label the special alloy. These numbers are arbitrary except for the 1XXX series aluminum. In the 1XXX series, the last two digits indicate the minimum aluminum content between 99% and 100%. For example, 1060 aluminum will have a minimum pure aluminum content of 99.60%.

Aluminum Casting

Cast aluminum alloys use a 4-digit system, but contain a decimal point (XXX.X). Similar to forged aluminum, the first digit in the cast aluminum alloy designation system indicates the main alloying element or elements. The following table contains the different alloying elements assigned to each step:

1xx.x Pure aluminum

2xx.x Virgin

3xx.x Silicon and / or Copper and / or Magnesium

4xx.x Silicon

5xx.x Magnesium

6xx.x Unused

7xx.x Zinc

8xx.x Tin

9xx.x Other

The second and third digits of the aluminum casting numbering system are also optional; Indicates aluminum alloy except 1XX.X series. Similar to the forged aluminum alloy designation system, the second and third steps for these grades are used to indicate an aluminum purity of over 99%. The last digit after the decimal point is used to determine whether the aluminum alloy is cast or ingot. “0 işaret points to a plaster cast and“ 1 ”indicates a nugget.

Temper definitions can follow the figures of both forged and cast aluminum alloys. They distinguish which processes are made to aluminum to increase mechanical properties such as tensile strength and hardness. For example, “F” means fabrication; In other words, no special process was used to improve the mechanical properties. The designation “H” means hardened stress, “O belir means an annealed aluminum alloy,“ T belir indicates that the aluminum alloy is heat-treated and “W” indicates thermal heat-treatment. It is important to note these thermal descriptions when exposing the aluminum alloy to processes that produce sufficient heat to alter the heat treatment or strain hardening. Only 2XXX, 4XXX, 6XXX, 7XXX, 2XX.X, 3XX.X, 4XX.X and 7XX. X series aluminum alloys are heat treated. The exception is that some 4XXX series aluminum alloys are not susceptible to heat treatment.