Wrought Aluminum Alloy Families
Understand the series label, then specify the exact alloy, temper and product requirements.
A family is a starting point, not a purchase specification
The Aluminum Association describes the wrought designation system and the following series. These short summaries organize research; they do not establish acceptable substitutes or design properties.
- 1xxx
- Commercially pure aluminum, with aluminum content of at least 99 percent.
- 3xxx
- Manganese is the main alloying element.
- 5xxx
- Magnesium is the main alloying element.
- 6xxx
- Magnesium and silicon characterize this heat-treatable series.
- 7xxx
- Zinc is the principal alloying element; exact alloy and condition remain necessary.
Turn a series into a usable requirement
- Exact designation
- Replace a broad series request with the required alloy designation and designation system, or explain what the design owner still needs to select.
- Product form
- Identify sheet, plate, profile, tube or another form. Do not assume every alloy is available in every form or dimension.
- Material condition
- State the required temper. Ask for proposed alternatives to be recorded separately, not silently substituted.
- Required evidence
- Name the product standard and edition, acceptance limits and documents needed to trace the supplied batch.
Limits and reference
No strength values, chemistry ranges, equivalence table or recommended alloy for a safety-critical design is supplied here. Wrought-family labels should not be used as a casting-alloy lookup.
Source: The Aluminum Association — Standards. Reviewed 2 October 2026.