6261-T6 Aluminum
6261-T6 aluminum is 6261 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. It has the highest strength and lowest ductility compared to the other variants of 6261 aluminum.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 6261-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
69 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
9.0 %
Fatigue Strength
100 MPa 15 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.7 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
180 MPa 26 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
300 MPa 44 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
260 MPa 38 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
400 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
160 °C 320 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1190 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
610 °C 1140 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
180 W/m-K 110 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
23 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
48 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
160 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
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)
26 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
500 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
14 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
50 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
31 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
37 points
Thermal Diffusivity
75 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
13 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 96.6 to 98.6 | |
| Mg | 0.7 to 1.0 | |
| Si | 0.4 to 0.7 | |
| Mn | 0.2 to 0.35 | |
| Cu | 0.15 to 0.4 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.4 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Ti | 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
EN 755-2: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Extruded rod/bar, tube and profiles. Mechanical properties
EN 573-3: Aluminium and aluminium alloys. Chemical composition and form of wrought products. Chemical composition and form of products
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015