Aluminum Alloy Grades
Twelve common aluminium grades. Wrought designations are internationally shared, so no cross-reference is needed there. The casting alloys are the exception — ADC12 is JIS, A380 is AA, and they are close but not interchangeable.
Wrought aluminium9
The four-digit designations are the Aluminum Association system, adopted directly by China in GB/T 3190. Same number both sides — no cross-reference needed here.
| GB grade | Nearest intl. | Composition | Typical use | Scrap grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1060Commercially pure aluminium | AA1060 | Al ≥ 99.60% | Electrical conductor, chemical tanks | Clean Al sheet≈96% of spot |
| 1100Commercial pure aluminium | AA1100 | Al ≥ 99.00%, Cu 0.05–0.20% | Food containers, closures, deep-drawn parts | UBC / Clean Sheet≈93% of spot |
| 3003Al-Mn alloy | AA3003 | Al bal., Mn 1.0–1.5%, Cu 0.05–0.20% | Food packaging, radiators, roofing | Old Sheet≈85% of spot |
| 5052Al-Mg alloy | AA5052 | Al bal., Mg 2.2–2.8%, Cr 0.15–0.35% | Marine, auto body sheet, pressure vessels | Taint / Tabor≈84% of spot |
| 5083Marine-grade aluminium | AA5083 | Al bal., Mg 4.0–4.9%, Mn 0.40–1.0% | Hulls, LNG tanks, cryogenic vessels | Taint / Tabor≈83% of spot |
| 6061General-purpose structural alloy | AA6061 | Al bal., Mg 0.8–1.2%, Si 0.40–0.80%, Cu 0.15–0.40% | Structural, machined parts, transport | 6061 Extrusion≈90% of spot |
| 6063Architectural extrusion alloy | AA6063 | Al bal., Mg 0.45–0.90%, Si 0.20–0.60% | Windows, curtain wall, heat-sink profiles | 6063 Extrusion≈91% of spot |
| 7075High-strength aerospace alloy | AA7075 | Al bal., Zn 5.1–6.1%, Mg 2.1–2.9%, Cu 1.2–2.0% | Aerospace structures, tooling plate | 7xxx Alloy≈80% of spot |
| 2024Duralumin | AA2024 | Al bal., Cu 3.8–4.9%, Mg 1.2–1.8%, Mn 0.30–0.90% | Aircraft skin, structural parts | 2xxx Alloy≈78% of spot |
Cast aluminium3
This is where cross-referencing does matter: ADC12 is a JIS grade, A380 an Aluminum Association one. Close but not interchangeable — do not substitute on spec alone.
| GB grade | Nearest intl. | Composition | Typical use | Scrap grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADC12Die-casting alloy | A383 (近似)JIS ADC12 | Al bal., Si 9.6–12.0%, Cu 1.5–3.5%, Fe ≤ 1.3% | Auto parts, motor housings, consumer electronics | Die-cast / Zorba≈72% of spot |
| A380A380 die-casting alloy | A380 | Al bal., Si 7.5–9.5%, Cu 3.0–4.0%, Fe ≤ 1.3% | Motor housings, gearboxes, pump bodies | Die-cast / Zorba≈70% of spot |
| ZL102Al-Si casting alloy | A413 (近似) | Al bal., Si 10.0–13.0% | Thin-wall castings, instrument housings | Cast Aluminium≈74% of spot |
Why the two numbering systems don’t line up
Chinese GB designations describe the alloy: H62 is brass with 62% copper, QSn6.5-0.1 is a tin bronze with 6.5% tin and 0.1% phosphorus, B30 is cupronickel with 30% nickel. Read the name and you know roughly what is in it.
UNS numbers carry no such meaning — C26000 tells you only that it sits in the brass block. The number is an index, not a description.
So the two systems cannot be mapped by arithmetic, and the composition ranges rarely coincide exactly. H62 runs 60.5–63.5% Cu while C27400 runs 61–64% — overlapping, not identical. Everything in the second column above is the nearest equivalent, suitable for finding your way to the right material. It is not a statement that the two are interchangeable: substitution has to be judged against the actual requirement for the part.
How these grades are sorted as scrap
The scrap column uses the trade names the recycling industry actually quotes in — Bare Bright, Honey, Taint/Tabor, Zorba. They are sorting categories, not alloy specs: a yard buying Yellow Brass is not asking whether the material is H62 or H68, because both land in the same bin. The percentage next to each is an indicative share of the pure-metal spot price, useful for a rough valuation and nothing more — actual settlement turns on assay, contamination and the terms of your own contract.
Other metals
Composition ranges follow the Chinese national standards (GB/T). Cross-references are the nearest equivalent grade, not a certification of interchangeability — verify against the governing specification before you substitute a material.