6061 & 6063 Aluminum Square Tube

6061 Aluminum Square Tube Temper Designations

6061 is a heat treatable alloy that is oven baked to increase its overall hardness.  The higher the "T" or temper designation, the longer the heat-treat time and usually the harder the material. The “T6" designation is the hardest temper that the 6061 alloy can achieve.
 
Many times, you'll see additional letters following the T6 designation and those letters refer to the processes that are performed after heat treating. Although there are many possible processes that can occur, the most common are stress relieving by stretching and straightening, which is referred to as "T6511," whereas "T651" means signifies that no additional straightening has been performed after the stress relieving stretching process has been completed. 

Although this may sound like a lot of metallurgical mumbo-jumbo, we come across this question quite frequently when people are trying to find material to match what's specified on a print. More often than we would like, people will order a piece of extruded flat bar of 6061 aluminum only to have it rejected by their customer's quality control department because they were supposed to order a plate product.  The extruded flat bar conforms to 6061-T6511 whereas the plate is a 6061-T651 product and because of the extra "1" at the end of the designation, the customer has to re-order the correct material and re-machine the part.

6063 T5 Aluminum Square Tube

6063 is considered the "architectural" grade within the 6000 aluminum series. Like 6061, 6063 has good corrosion properties, is easily anodizable, and weldable.  However, 6063 is different to the extent that it's not as strong as the 6061 and consequently, will take a 90 deg bend without cracking. 
 
Like the 6061, the 6063 alloy is also heat treatable but is typically only heat treated to a "T5" temper.
 
Contact us for more information regarding our line of 6061 and 6063 aluminum square tube products, or call us at 800-870-6382 with any questions that you may have.

Welding 6061 or 6063 Aluminum Square Tube

If you're trying to weld 6061 or 6063 for the first time, here are some tips you may want to consider:
 
1.  When welding thin material, it may be best to AC TIG weld using an argon or helium mix shielding gas.  Although this may be not as quick as MIG welding, it's the cleanest and easiest to control. 
2.  When welding thick aluminum, you should either MIG weld with a spool gun or DC TIG weld with a helium mix.

Common Welding Abbreviations

For those who are brand new to welding, here are some common abbreviations that are used within the welding industry and their subsequent meanings:

• TIG - TIG stands for tungsten inert gas but the welding textbooks refer to it as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW).
• MIG - MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas or Wire Welding but technically, it's called Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW).  This is the easiest welding process for beginners to learn.
• Alternating Current (AC) & Direct Current (DC) - Knowing which setting to use will depend on your machine cability as well as what type and thickness of material you are trying to weld.

6061 T6 Aluminum Square Tube vs. 6063 T5 Aluminum Square Tube

There are numerous similarities and several key differences between 6061 aluminum square tube and 6063 aluminum square tube. Both alloys provide excellent corrosion resistance, strength-to-weight ratios and can be worked in the same types of ways. However, 6061 aluminum rectangular tubing is precipitation-hardened, which is used to increase the yield strength of the malleable materials. The major difference between the two alloys is the minority elements of which they are composed. Both 6061 and 6063 aluminum are majorly composed of magnesium and silicon, but 6061 aluminum possesses a tensile strength of at least 290 MPa or 42,000 psi, where 6063 has a tensile strength of at least 140 MPa or 20,000 psi.

6061 Aluminum Square Tube Chemical Composition

• Silicon minimum 0.4%, maximum 0.8% by weight
• Iron no minimum, maximum 0.7%
• Copper minimum 0.15%, maximum 0.4%
• Manganese no minimum, maximum 0.15%
• Magnesium minimum 0.8%, maximum 1.2%
• Chromium minimum 0.04%, maximum 0.35%
• Zinc no minimum, maximum 0.25%
• Titanium no minimum, maximum 0.15%
• Other elements no more than 0.05% each, 0.15% total
• Remainder aluminum (95.85–98.56%)

6063 Aluminum Square Tube Chemical Composition

• Silicon minimum 0.4%, maximum 0.8% by weight
• Iron no minimum, maximum 0.7%
• Copper minimum 0.15%, maximum 0.4%
• Manganese no minimum, maximum 0.15%
• Magnesium minimum 0.8%, maximum 1.2%
• Chromium minimum 0.04%, maximum 0.35%
• Zinc no minimum, maximum 0.25%
• Titanium no minimum, maximum 0.15%
• Other elements no more than 0.05% each, 0.15% total
• Remainder aluminum (95.85–98.56%)

The major chemical composition difference between 6061 and 6063 aluminum square tube is the amount of silicon and magnesium within the alloys.

6061 Aluminum Square Tube Applicable Uses

Advanced 6061-T6 aluminum properties allow it to be used for many different types of industrial applications, some of which include:

• Fittings
• Valves
• Structural components
• Bike frames & recreational gear
• Machine parts
• Fixtures
• Drive shafts
• And many more

6063 Aluminum Square Tube Alloy Applications

Aluminum square tube 6063 maintains many beneficial qualities that allows it to be used for a wide range of applications, which include the following:

• Structure frames
• Machine parts
• Racks
• General construction
• Automotive applications
• Window & door frames
• Pipe & tubing
• And many more

Contact M & K Metal for 6061 & 6063 Aluminum Square Tube Today

Contact us for more information regarding our wide range of 6061 T6 and 6063 T5 aluminum rectangular tubing products, or request a quote today for an in-depth price analysis.