3003 (AlMn1Cu, 3.0517, A93003) Aluminum
3003 aluminum is a 3000-series aluminum alloy: the main alloying addition is manganese, and it is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 3003 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-3003. AlMn1Cu is the EN chemical designation. A93003 is the UNS number. Additionally, the AFNOR (French) designation is A-M1.
It has been in use since 1906, but has only received its standard designation in 1954. This material is well established: the Further Reading section below cites a number of published standards, and that list is not necessarily exhaustive.
The properties of 3003 aluminum include twelve 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 3003 aluminum to: 3000-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
Brinell Hardness
28 to 65
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
70 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
1.1 to 28 %
Fatigue Strength
39 to 90 MPa 5.7 to 13 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
68 to 130 MPa 9.9 to 19 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
110 to 240 MPa 16 to 34 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
40 to 210 MPa 5.7 to 30 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
180 °C 360 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
650 °C 1210 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
640 °C 1190 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
180 W/m-K 100 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
23 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
44 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
140 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Calomel Potential
-740 mV
Density
2.8 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
8.1 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
150 MJ/kg 66 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
1180 L/kg 140 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
0.95 to 63 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
11 to 300 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
11 to 24 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
18 to 30 points
Thermal Diffusivity
71 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
4.7 to 10 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 3003 aluminum is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of manganese (Mn). Manganese is used to improve strength without a proportional reduction in ductility. It also improves workability by controlling the grain structure of the alloy.
| Al | 96.8 to 99 | |
| Mn | 1.0 to 1.5 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.7 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.6 | |
| Cu | 0.050 to 0.2 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B491: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Round Tubes for General-Purpose Applications
ASTM B247: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Die Forgings, Hand Forgings, and Rolled Ring Forgings
ASTM B483: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Drawn Tube and Pipe for General Purpose Applications
ASTM B210: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Drawn Seamless Tubes
ASTM B211: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Bar, Rod, and Wire
ASTM B547: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Formed and Arc-Welded Round Tube
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
ASTM B209: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate