6063-T42 Aluminum
6063-T42 aluminum is 6063 aluminum in the T42 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is solution heat-treated and naturally aged. Unlike T4 temper, this is done by the receiver rather than the supplier.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 6063-T42 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
15 %
Fatigue Strength
39 MPa 5.6 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
99 MPa 14 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
160 MPa 23 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
75 MPa 11 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
160 °C 320 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
650 °C 1210 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
620 °C 1140 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
200 W/m-K 120 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
23 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
53 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
180 % 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
1190 L/kg 140 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
20 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
41 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
17 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
24 points
Thermal Diffusivity
82 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
7.2 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 97.5 to 99.4 | |
| Mg | 0.45 to 0.9 | |
| Si | 0.2 to 0.6 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.35 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.1 | |
| 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 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 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.
Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012
Aluminum Standards and Data, Aluminum Association Inc., 2013
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