Aluminum Temper Designations

From The Science and Engineering of Materials by Donald R. Askeland

Aluminum alloys can be divided into two major groups: wrought and casting alloys. These groups can be divided into two sub-groups: heat-treatable and non-heat-treatable alloys.

The temper designation (T or H) refers to heat-Treated or strain-Hardened. Other designations include annealed (O), solution-treated (W), or as-fabricated (F). The numbers following the T or H refer to the type of heat treatment or amount of strain hardening.

F: AS-FABRICATED (hot-worked, forged, cast, etc.)

O: ANNEALED (in the softest possible condition)

H: COLD-WORKED
H1x–cold-worked only (x refers to the amount of cold work and strengthening.)
H12–cold work that gives a tensile strength midway between O and H14 tempers.
H14–cold work that gives a tensile strength midway between O and H18 tempers.
H16–cold work that gives a tensile strength midway between H14 and H18 tempers.
H18–cold work that gives about 75% reduction.
H19–cold work that gives a tensile strength greater than 2000 psi of that obtained by the H18 temper.
H2x–cold-worked and partially annealed.
H3x–cold-worked and stabilized at a low temperature to prevent age hardening of the structure.

W: SOLUTION-TREATED

T: AGE-HARDENED
T1–cooled from the fabrication temperature and naturally aged.
T2–cooled from the fabrication temperature, cold-worked, and naturally aged.
T3–solution-treated, cold-worked, and naturally aged.
T4–solution-treated and naturally aged.
T5–cooled from the fabrication temperature and artificially aged.
T6–solution-treated and artificially aged.
T7–solution-treated and stabilized by overaging.
T8–solution-treated, cold-worked, and artificially aged.
T9–solution-treated, artificially aged, and cold-worked.
T10–cooled from the fabrication temperature, cold-worked, and artificially aged.

And, thank you to @swertel for the excellent summary and reminder.

The book is available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Engineering-Materials-Donald-Askeland/dp/1305076761/ref=sr_1_1?

Thank you Swertel for the summary.
Askeland barely scratches the surface.

Anyone who wants a more specific answer can find a wealth of information in public-domain documents such as the FAA publication known at “MMPDS” (Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization).

More to the point, I find that college textbooks publish “some” data that comes from “somewhere” representing “typical” values of an “assortment” grades… I call BS on that - I want the allowable values for the specific temper, chemistry, and mill form that I can rely on 99% of the time. I need A-basis values for my work. If you weren’t taught what an “A-Basis” or “B-Basis” value is in engineering school, then I recommend you continue reading the REST of the MMPDS.

I have attached an excerpt from Chapter 3 below.

AR-MMPDS-06_Chapter_3_Aluminum_Section_1_General.pdf (216.2 KB)

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