6061-O Aluminum
6061-O aluminum is 6061 aluminum in the annealed condition. It has the lowest strength compared to the other variants of 6061 aluminum. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 6061-O 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
Brinell Hardness
33
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
69 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
20 %
Fatigue Strength
61 MPa 8.8 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
84 MPa 12 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
130 MPa 19 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
76 MPa 11 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
170 °C 330 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
650 °C 1190 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
580 °C 1080 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
170 W/m-K 97 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
24 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
43 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
140 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Calomel Potential
-740 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
1180 L/kg 140 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
23 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
42 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
13 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
21 points
Thermal Diffusivity
68 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
5.7 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 95.9 to 98.6 | |
| Mg | 0.8 to 1.2 | |
| Si | 0.4 to 0.8 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.7 | |
| Cu | 0.15 to 0.4 | |
| Cr | 0.040 to 0.35 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.25 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.15 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM B308: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy 6061-T6 Standard Structural Profiles
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
EN 754-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Cold drawn rod/bar and tube. Mechanical properties
Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012
ASTM B209: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate
Pressure Vessels: External Pressure Technology, 2nd ed., Carl T. F. Ross, 2011