When you choose aluminium from Hydro, it's strong, light, durable and climate efficient, making you part of a smarter and more sustainable future. Our climate strategy is to cut our CO2 emissions 30% by 2030. Our aluminium can help you meet your goals, too.
Energy
Hydro has been at the forefront of the energy transition since 1905, transforming industries and societies with renewable energy. Today, we are pioneering the green aluminium transition through renewables and new energy solutions.
Sustainability
We want to contribute to the just and green transition through responsible production, creating circular solutions and delivering net-zero aluminium by 2050 or earlier.
Careers
At Hydro, we put our people at the center of everything we do. By supporting our employees’ growth professionally and personally, we are fostering a community of colleagues who are united in the shared purpose of solving our industries’ most pressing challenges.
Investors
With more than a century of industrial experience, we are enabling the green transition through innovation, technological advances, and a strong commercial mindset.
Media
Working on a story about aluminium? Press releases, photos, stories, facts and figures – you will find everything you need here.
About Hydro
Hydro is a leading aluminium and renewable energy company that builds businesses and partnerships for a more sustainable future. We have 32,000 employees in more than 140 locations and 42 countries.
6005A sits in a useful gap in the 6000 series, as it's stronger than 6063, more extrudable than 6082, and, unlike 6082, still suitable for anodizing. Also designated EN AW-6005A, it is the alloy engineers often end up with when a profile needs real structural performance but cannot give up surface finish or complex geometry to get there.
6005A is alloyed with magnesium and silicon, with a small addition of manganese that sharpens its mechanical performance without compromising extrudability. What it offers is a combination that's very useful for structural work, having good strength, good corrosion resistance, reliable weldability and a surface finish that responds well to anodizing. Few alloys in the 6000 series manage all four at once, and that's what makes 6005A distinctive.
This alloy handles complex profile geometries better than most alloys at this strength level, which opens up design options that would not be practical with a harder-to-extrude alloy. It welds well, and post-weld strength is predictable enough for fabricated assemblies that need to hold up over time. Corrosion resistance is solid across most outdoor and industrial environments, and unlike some higher-strength alloys, 6005A is highly suitable for decorative anodizing,
Welding is where the most caution is needed. 7108 can be welded, but it's generally only recommended in lower-loaded areas of a structure. In highly stressed zones, welded joints introduce stress-corrosion risk that needs to be managed through design rather than assumed away. If the assembly relies on welded joints in structurally critical locations, the alloy and joint design should be validated before going to production.
Typical applications
Rail and train components
6005A is widely used in rail carriage construction where structural performance, weldability and controlled finish are all project requirements.
Examples: Train body structural profiles, carriage side panels, door frames, flooring
Transport and commercial vehicles
The combination of strength, extrudability and surface quality makes 6005A a practical alternative to other alloys in visible or complex profiles.
Examples: Truck bed profiles, trailer side rails, bus body structural components, vehicle frames
Building applications
A solid choice when profiles need real mechanical capacity and still need to anodize well.
Examples: Structural facade components, load-bearing architectural profiles, visible support structures
Industrial and engineering profiles
Where a reliable all-round alloy is needed with better mechanical performance than 6063 but without the anodizing limitations of 6082.
Primarily used in structural extruded profiles for building, transport and civil infrastructure applications where maximum strength and good fatigue performance are the key requirements.
Yes, but with caution. Welding is generally only recommended in lower-loaded areas of a structure. In highly stressed zones, welded joints can introduce stress-corrosion risk.
7108 offers significantly higher strength than 6082, but with more constraints on extrudability, formability and welding. If 6082 is already meeting your structural requirements, there's no reason to move to 7108. If the application is pushing the limits of what 6082 can deliver, 7108 is the next step up.
Yes, but mainly for protective anodizing, which provides good corrosion and surface protection. It is not suited for decorative anodizing where more visual consistency is required.
