5056-H12 Aluminum
5056-H12 aluminum is 5056 aluminum in the H12 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is strain hardened to a strength that is roughly a quarter of the way between annealed (O) and full-hard (H18). The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 5056-H12 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
67 GPa 9.8 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
7.2 %
Fatigue Strength
190 MPa 27 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
25 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
210 MPa 30 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
350 MPa 51 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
260 MPa 37 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
190 °C 370 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1180 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
570 °C 1050 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
910 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
130 W/m-K 73 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
24 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
29 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
99 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Calomel Potential
-780 mV
Density
2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
9.0 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)
23 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
490 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
51 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
37 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
42 points
Thermal Diffusivity
53 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
16 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 93 to 95.4 | |
| Mg | 4.5 to 5.6 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.3 | |
| Mn | 0.050 to 0.2 | |
| Cr | 0.050 to 0.2 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.1 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM B211: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Bar, Rod, and Wire
Aluminum Standards and Data, Aluminum Association Inc., 2013
ASM Specialty Handbook: Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 1993