Aluminum 5052 alloy is one of the higher strength, non-heat-treatable alloys, which contains magnesium as its major alloying element, with small amounts of chromium, silicon, iron, copper, manganese and zinc. When annealed, alloy 5052 is stronger than the readily available 1100 and 3003 alloys, and stronger than most other 5xxx series alloys. 5052 alloy cannot be heat treated, but can be hot and cold worked.

The properties of 5052 aluminum include good workability, making it very useful in forming operations. It has very good corrosion resistance, especially to salt water, and can be easily welded. Its high fatigue strength makes it an excellent selection for structures that need to withstand excessive vibrations. Alloy 5052 is commonly used in sheet, plate and tube form. However, this alloy is rated only fair for machinability, so it is not the best choice for extensive machining operations without oil lubricants.

Aluminum alloy 5052’s excellent resistance to corrosion makes it particularly well-suited to shipbuilding and marine applications, such as marine components, fuel tanks and oil lines. Due to its light weight, high strength and attractive finishing capabilities, it can be used to make smaller, thinner components, such as those used in consumer electronics.

In fact, alloy 5052 is the preferred choice for consumer electronics casings, as well as for larger products, such as laptop computers, mobile devices and televisions. Other common applications for aluminum alloy 5052 include fuel and oil lines, hydraulic tubes, heat exchangers, pressure vessels, appliances like home freezers, kitchen cabinets, fencing, lighting, wiring and rivets. It is regularly used in general sheet metal work.

Hydro Extrusion is a global leader in the production of extruded aluminum products for the residential and commercial building industry. Choosing the appropriate alloy for your application is very important. Hydro provides an extensive selection of standard and custom solid and hollow shapes, rod and bar products and seamless and structural pipe and tube, offering a wide variety of 6000 series alloys and tempers to meet an extensive variety of applications.

Hydro's design, application, engineering, manufacturing and marketing specialists are ready to assist you with alloy solutions for unique applications, employing the latest technology for the design and manufacture of extrusion tooling, including CAD/CAM design. Our engineers and metallurgists are available with everything you need to go from drawing board to finished product.