6061 vs 6063 Aluminum: What is the difference?

Last time, we analyzed the difference between 5052 and 6061, today we will analyze another common aluminum alloy: 6063. Aluminum 6061 and aluminum 6063 are popular alloys of aluminum that offer a wide range of benefits for manufacturing industries. These two aluminum alloy grades fall into the 6xxxx series of aluminum alloys. Since the aluminum 6061 and 6063 come from the 6xxxx series they share similar elemental composition and mechanical properties. Due to this, it may be very difficult for manufactures to differentiate between the two alloys.

There is however a need to use their respective characteristics to differentiate each alloy for usage purposes. With this, it is much easier to use the best alloy for one’s project. The main objective of this article is to help our readers to differentiate 6061 aluminum from 6063 aluminum.

Basic Introduction To 6061 Aluminum & 6063 Aluminum

The 6061 aluminum and 6063 are impressive aluminum alloy in their respective domain. They share almost all properties the 6xxx aluminum series possess. Both are grades of aluminum alloy used for extrusion. Before we go into solving the question of “How does one choose one?”, We will examine each series respectively.

6061 Aluminum Grade

The aluminum 6061 is a member of the aluminum alloy 6000 series. It has a significant amount of both magnesium and silicon in its composition. This alloy is primarily formulated for wrought products. For the benefit of different regions, 6061 aluminum is designated as EN AW-6061 in European standards. Also, the 6061 aluminum in the AFNOR (French) designation is A-G1SUC while it is CSA GS11N in older literature.

The 6061 aluminum has been in the market since 1935 and it receives its standard designation in 1954. It is one of the most versatile heat-treatable alloys with a range of elemental alloy composition. 6061 aluminum is common for multi-purpose uses as it combines strength with corrosion resistance and highly weldable. It is found in different applications ranging from the aviation industry, marine, to automotive industries.

6063 Aluminum Grade

Aluminum 6063 is a member of the 6000 series of aluminum alloy. It is often referred to as architectural aluminum because it’s a top choice for architectural materials. The aluminum 6063 is designated H9 in British Standard (BS) and EN AW-6063 in European standards. The EN chemical designation for 6063 aluminum is AlMg0,7Si.

Aluminum 6061 has been in the market since 1944 and has received its standard designation in 1954. The 6063 aluminum is widely used to draw constant cross-sectional shapes because of its excellent response to extrusion. Examples of such shapes include tubing, bars, and many more. It is known for its high corrosion resistance property with a good surface finish. Its major elemental composition includes Al, Mg, and Si in descending order of quantity. While aluminum 6063 does not differ from aluminum 6061, its better corrosion resistance and lower strength make it a better choice for extrusion.

What Differentiates Between Aluminum 6061 and Aluminum 6063?

6061 aluminum and 6063 aluminum alloys are from the same series and may therefore share similar properties. As a result, it may be tricky to differentiate between 6061 aluminum and 6063 aluminum. Irrespective of how tricky it may be, their distinct properties can be used to draw comparisons between the two. To help our readers in deciding between the two alloys, the following attributes will be used to draw comparisons:

• Alloy Series
• Chemical Component
• Mechanical Properties
• Corrosion Resistance Comparison
• Common Applications Comparison

Comparison 1 - Alloy Series

6061 vs 6063 Aluminum: Alloy Series

The 6061 aluminum and 6063 aluminum exist in different forms. Although both alloys come from the series 6000 alloys, they retain distinct properties. These distinct properties can be used to draw comparisons. In this section, we will differentiate 6061 aluminum from 6063 aluminum by listing out their respective alloy variations.

The 6061 aluminum alloy exists in pre-tempered and tempered grade. They include:

• 6061-O Aluminum
• 6061-T1 Aluminum
• 6061-T4 Aluminum
• 6061-T42 Aluminum
• 6061-T451 Aluminum
• 6061-T4510 Aluminum
• 6061-T4511 Aluminum
• 6061-T51 Aluminum
• 6061-T6 Aluminum
• 6061-T62 Aluminum
• 6061-T651 Aluminum
• 6061-T6510 Aluminum
• 6061-T6511 Aluminum
• 6061-T652 Aluminum
• 6061-T89 Aluminum
• 6061-T94 Aluminum

The 6063 aluminum exists in about 13 alloy variations. They include:

• 6063-0 Aluminum
• 6063-T1
• 6063-T4
• 6063-T42
• 6063-T5
• 6063-T52
• 6063-T6
• 6063-T62
• 6063-T66
• 6063-T8
• 6063-T83
• 6063-T831
• 6063-T832

Comparison 2 - Chemical Components

6061 vs 6063 Aluminum: Chemical Components

Chemical components of both alloys can be used to draw comparisons. These chemical compositions may be the same, but the percentage composition differs.

The table below presents a summary of the alloy composition of 6061 aluminum and 6063 aluminum.

Comparison 3 - Mechanical Properties

6061 vs 6063 Aluminum: Mechanical Properties

This involves the physical properties a material has. In this case, the two alloys are from the same series (aluminum 6000). It will be much easier to differentiate each alloy by examining their physical properties. The following properties will be used to draw out comparisons between the two alloys:

• Machinability
• Material Hardness
• Overall Strength of Material

Machinability

This is a measure of how a material performs when machined such as being milled, turned, die-casted, and many more. We used qualitative measures to grasp the overall response to machining. The measure of their respective machinability is in form of a Likert scale which includes poor, fair, good, and excellent. Our examination reveals that 6061 aluminum is better machined compared to 6063. The 6061 is preferred over 6063 aluminum if machinability is the major concern of the proposed project. 6063 aluminum is also machinable but it is well known as an extrusion alloy.

Material Hardness

This is a measure of ductility, general material strength, and surface quality. Here, we used the Brinell scale which is a common measurement system for metals. It shows that based on metrics, 6061 aluminum and 6063 aluminum have Brinell hardness values of 95 and 73 respectively. It is important to know that the two alloys are strong and are ductile enough to be formed. However, the 6061 aluminum is preferable if the hardness is a major concern of a project.

Overall Strength of Material

The overall strength of a material is a combination of many factors. These factors include yield strength, ultimate strength, shear strength, fatigue strength, and many more. For your reference, we’ve come up with empirical metrics to show the exact strength of both alloys for comparison purposes. Overall, 6061 aluminum possesses higher metrics and may be preferred over 6063 aluminum. For more information refer to the mechanical properties summary table.

The Mechanical Properties Summary Table

Comparison 3 - Corrosion Resistance Comparison

6061 vs 6063 Aluminum: Corrosion Resistance Comparison

When it comes to corrosion, both alloys are somewhat resistant to corrosion. When used, both alloys form a protective layer of oxide that makes them inert toward environmental bodies. However, 6063 aluminum is more resistant to corrosion compared to 6061 aluminum. This can be attributed to lesser copper composition – an elemental composite that increases materials susceptibility to corrosion.

Comparison 4 - Common Applications Comparison

6061 vs 6063 Aluminum: Common Applications Comparison

6061 Aluminum Application

Aluminum 6061 is widely used in the industries for general purposes because of its weldability and formability. As a matter of fact, its corrosion resistance and high strength have given 6061 aluminum its application in architectural, structural, and motor vehicle industries. 6061 aluminum uses are exhaustive, while its major applications include:

• Aircraft and truck frames
• Chemical equipment
• Electronic parts
• Fasteners
• Furniture
• Heat Exchangers
• Electrical fittings
• Heat Sinks
• Marine frames
• Welded assemblies

6063 Aluminum Application

Aluminum 6063 is generally used in extrusion projects as a result of its weldability, good workability, and moderate strength. Consequently, aluminum 6063 is regarded as “architectural aluminum” because of the combination of its strength, weldability, and workability. 6063 aluminum has a wide variety of applications among which include:

• Architectural products
• Building & construction extrusions
• Furniture
• General extrusions for medical, automotive, parts profiling, and more
• Piping
• Recreational equipment
• Tubing

Summary: 6061 Vs 6063, Which Aluminum Alloy Is Better?

Finally, this blog post has been able to compare and contrast the 6061 aluminum and 6063 aluminum. It is however important to note that each of these aluminum alloy grades is best suited for specific projects. As a result, we cannot categorically state that one alloy is better than another. Also, the best alloy depends greatly on the project requirements. This means that, while one is better on a particular project, the other is also better on another project. Give us a call today if you have more questions or require the service of CNC machining 6061 or 6063 aluminum. Samples for testing are also available.

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