5050 (AlMg1.5(C), A95050) Aluminum
5050 aluminum is a 5000-series aluminum alloy: the main alloying addition is magnesium, and it is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 5050 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-5050. A95050 is the UNS number. Additionally, the EN chemical designation is AlMg1,5(C).
It originally 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 5050 aluminum include fifteen 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 5050 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
Brinell Hardness
36 to 68
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
68 GPa 9.9 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
1.7 to 22 %
Fatigue Strength
45 to 100 MPa 6.5 to 15 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
91 to 140 MPa 13 to 21 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
140 to 250 MPa 21 to 36 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
50 to 210 MPa 7.2 to 31 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
180 °C 360 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
650 °C 1200 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
630 °C 1160 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
190 W/m-K 110 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
24 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
50 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
170 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Calomel Potential
-760 mV
Density
2.7 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
1190 L/kg 140 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
4.1 to 24 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
18 to 330 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
15 to 26 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
22 to 33 points
Thermal Diffusivity
79 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
6.3 to 11 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 5050 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 | 96.3 to 98.9 | |
| Mg | 1.1 to 1.8 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.7 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.25 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Cr | 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 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 B547: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Formed and Arc-Welded Round Tube
ASTM B209: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate
EN 485-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Sheet, strip and plate. Mechanical properties
Aluminum Standards and Data, Aluminum Association Inc., 2013
ISO 6361-2: Wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys - Sheets, strips and plates - Part 2: Mechanical properties
EN 573-3: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Chemical composition and form of wrought products. Chemical composition and form of products