5021 Aluminum
5021 aluminum is a 5000-series aluminum alloy: the main alloying addition is magnesium, and it is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 5021 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-5021. Additionally, the UNS number is A95021.
It received its standard designation in 1993, making it a fairly young material.
The properties of 5021 aluminum include four 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 5021 aluminum to: 5000-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
1.1 to 3.4 %
Fatigue Strength
85 to 110 MPa 12 to 16 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
170 MPa 25 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
300 to 310 MPa 43 to 45 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
240 to 270 MPa 36 to 40 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
180 °C 360 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1190 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
590 °C 1090 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
140 W/m-K 81 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
23 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
35 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
120 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Density
2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
8.6 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)
3.1 to 10 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
440 to 550 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
30 to 32 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
37 points
Thermal Diffusivity
57 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
13 to 14 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 5021 aluminum is notable for containing a comparatively high amount of magnesium (Mg). Magnesium promotes hardenability through both heat treatment and strain hardening mechanisms. It also increases susceptibility to intergranular corrosion.
| Al | 95.2 to 97.7 | |
| Mg | 2.2 to 2.8 | |
| Mn | 0.1 to 0.5 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.15 | |
| res. | 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
ISO 6361-2: Wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys - Sheets, strips and plates - Part 2: Mechanical properties
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015