6081 Aluminum vs. 5042 Aluminum
Both 6081 aluminum and 5042 aluminum are aluminum alloys. They have a very high 97% of their average alloy composition in common.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 6081 aluminum and the bottom bar is 5042 aluminum.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 69 | |
| 68 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 9.0 | |
| 1.1 to 3.4 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 110 | |
| 97 to 120 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.33 | |
| 0.33 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 26 | |
| 26 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 180 | |
| 200 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 310 | |
| 340 to 360 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 270 | |
| 270 to 310 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 410 | |
| 400 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 160 | |
| 180 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 640 | |
| 640 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 610 | |
| 570 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 900 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 180 | |
| 130 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 23 | |
| 24 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 47 | |
| 33 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 160 | |
| 110 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 9.5 | |
| 9.5 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
| 2.7 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 8.3 | |
| 8.8 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 150 | |
| 150 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 1180 | |
| 1180 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 27 | |
| 3.6 to 12 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 540 | |
| 550 to 720 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 14 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 50 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 32 | |
| 35 to 37 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 37 | |
| 40 to 42 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 74 | |
| 53 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 14 | |
| 15 to 16 |
Alloy Composition
| Aluminum (Al), % | 96.3 to 98.6 | |
| 94.2 to 96.8 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 to 0.1 |
| Copper (Cu), % | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 0 to 0.15 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 0 to 0.5 | |
| 0 to 0.35 |
| Magnesium (Mg), % | 0.6 to 1.0 | |
| 3.0 to 4.0 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.1 to 0.45 | |
| 0.2 to 0.5 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.7 to 1.1 | |
| 0 to 0.2 |
| Titanium (Ti), % | 0 to 0.15 | |
| 0 to 0.1 |
| Zinc (Zn), % | 0 to 0.2 | |
| 0 to 0.25 |
| Residuals, % | 0 | |
| 0 to 0.15 |