Source: China Aluminum Industrial Net

In the process of making aluminum plate , adding various alloy elements achieve the aluminum plate some special mechanical properties. Alloy aluminum can mainly be divided into 7 series of 2-8 respectively. For example, 2A21 belongs to 2 series, 3003 belongs to 3 series, 5052 belongs to 5 series and the others can be done by this analogy. 

1000 series is pure aluminum plate, whose main element is aluminum which reaches to more than 99%, such as 1100, 1145, 1060, 1070. 

The 2000 series aluminum plate contains copper as the main alloy elements, reaching up to 2%-5% or even higher. The hardness of 2000 series is much higher compared with other brands. Because of its commonly use in aeronautics, 2000 series is also known as aviation aluminum. However , because 2000 series is not widely used in civilian, currently there are fewer factories producing 2000 series of alloy aluminum plate and also 2000 series aluminum plate has a higher price, therefore 5052 series is used for current civilian instead of 2000 series. 

The main alloy element of 3000 series aluminum plate is manganese, whose content reaches 2%-5%, such as 3003 plate and 3A21 plate. Because of its anti-corrosion performance, 3000 series is widely used for air-conditioner, refrigerators under moisture environment and widely used in pipeline insulation. The price for 3000 series is much competitive compared with other aluminum alloy plate. 

4000 series aluminum plate mainly contains silicon, which is not widely used. 

5000 series is a representative for alloy aluminum plate, which is commonly used in our country and international countries, such as 5052,5083 and so on. Now take 5052 series as an example to clarify the 5000 series aluminum plate. Its advantages are: 1. Light specific gravity . The proportion of 5052 aluminum plate is 2.68, lower weight than aluminum plates in other brands based on same dimension. 2. Higher tensile strength. Compared with other brands in same dimension, 5052 has a higher tensile strength and good resistance to deformation ability. 3. Good extensibility. The elongation rate of 5052 aluminum plate is 15%-30%, which can guarantee a good effect when stamping and bending. 4. The main content is magnesium. The aluminum plate with Magnesium has a good performance of corrosion resistance and anti-rust, which 3003 series can not compare. 5.5052 series has a good performance of anodic oxidation, which can further enhance the advantage in chemistry.  So 5052 series aluminum plate is often used in the field that has a high requirement for high-strength and good corrosion resistance, such as aircraft fuel tank,precise electronic components,metal building materials, security doors, etc.

6000 series is a combination of 4000 series and 5000 series, and the main element is silicon and magnesium, which belongs to solid aluminum melt-processed aluminum plate, the representative brand number is 6061-T6.

7000 series aluminum plate, 7075 as the main representative brand, has the similarity in hardness and performance with 2000 series. 7000 series aluminum plate is not commonly used at present and usually is replaced by 5000 series.

8000 series, 8011 is the main representative brand, is mainly used for making bottle caps, which is not too common used aluminum material.

Alloy aluminum plate can also be divided into cold rolled and hot rolled. The main difference is based on anodic oxidation. Hot rolled aluminum plate can make anodic oxidation.