6060-T6 Aluminum
6060-T6 aluminum is 6060 aluminum in the T6 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is solution heat-treated and artificially aged until it meets standard mechanical property requirements. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 6060-T6 aluminum to: 6000-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
11 %
Fatigue Strength
70 MPa 10 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
130 MPa 19 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
220 MPa 32 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
170 MPa 24 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
160 °C 320 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
660 °C 1210 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
610 °C 1130 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
210 W/m-K 120 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
23 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
54 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
180 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Calomel Potential
-710 mV
Density
2.7 g/cm3 170 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
8.3 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)
23 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
210 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
23 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
30 points
Thermal Diffusivity
85 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
9.8 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 97.9 to 99.3 | |
| Mg | 0.35 to 0.6 | |
| Si | 0.3 to 0.6 | |
| Fe | 0.1 to 0.3 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.050 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
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
Aluminum: Properties and Physical Metallurgy, John E. Hatch (editor), 1984
EN 755-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Extruded rod/bar, tube and profiles. Mechanical properties
ASM Specialty Handbook: Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 1993
EN 573-3: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Chemical composition and form of wrought products. Chemical composition and form of products