7050 (AlZn6CuMgZr, 3.4144) Aluminum
7050 aluminum is a 7000-series aluminum alloy: the main alloying addition is zinc and it is formulated for primary forming into wrought products. 7050 is the Aluminum Association (AA) designation for this material. In European standards, it will be given as EN AW-7050. AlZn6CuMgZr is the EN chemical designation. Additionally, the UNS number is A97050.
It originally received its standard designation in 1971.
The properties of 7050 aluminum include six common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare 7050 aluminum to: 7000-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
70 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
2.2 to 12 %
Fatigue Strength
130 to 210 MPa 20 to 31 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.32
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
280 to 330 MPa 41 to 47 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
490 to 570 MPa 71 to 82 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
390 to 500 MPa 57 to 72 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
370 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
190 °C 380 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
630 °C 1170 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
490 °C 910 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
860 J/kg-K 0.21 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
140 W/m-K 82 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
24 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
35 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
100 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
10 % relative
Density
3.1 g/cm3 190 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
8.2 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
150 MJ/kg 63 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
1120 L/kg 130 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
10 to 55 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
1110 to 1760 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
45 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
45 to 51 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
45 to 50 points
Thermal Diffusivity
54 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
21 to 25 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought aluminum alloys, the composition of 7050 aluminum is notable for containing comparatively high amounts of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu). Zinc is used to achieve significant increases in strength, at the cost of increased susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking. Among other things, this limits weldability. Copper is used to improve strength. This comes at the cost of a decrease in corrosion resistance and weldability.
| Al | 87.3 to 92.1 | |
| Zn | 5.7 to 6.7 | |
| Cu | 2.0 to 2.6 | |
| Mg | 1.9 to 2.6 | |
| Zr | 0.080 to 0.15 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.12 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.060 | |
| Cr | 0 to 0.040 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B247: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Die Forgings, Hand Forgings, and Rolled Ring Forgings
Aluminum Standards and Data, Aluminum Association Inc., 2013
ISO 6361-2: Wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys - Sheets, strips and plates - Part 2: 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