Tempers Guide
What is Metal Tempering?
Tempering metal is a heat treatment process of heating metals to their lower critical temperature. This process hardens the metal and produces enhanced properties. These properties can include increased hardness and impact-resistant material, better corrosion resistance, and increased flexibility. Some tempered metals are a better fit for specific applications because of their physical properties, such as marine, structural, or niche machining practices.
Temper Chart
A letter and number identify the tempered metal. These designations show the response of the material to the heat treatment, allowing the user to select the correct alloy for their project letter and number after the alloy number. For example, Aluminum 6063-T52, where T52 is the aluminum temper. Copper temper, brass temper, and bronze temper are also indicated by a letter and number. To decide which metal temper is right for your application, refer to the chart below which lists copper temper, brass temper, and aluminum temper.
Aluminum
Temper
Description
When is it used?
Temper: O
Description: Annealed, softest possible condition.
When it's used: Applications that require ease of forming and bending.
Temper: H112
Description: Slightly strain-hardened from hot working with no special control over the amount of strain hardening or thermal treatment, but there are mechanical property limits.
When it's used:General purpose applications where ductility is important.
Temper: H116
Description: Cold worked and thermal treated to be especially resistant to corrosion and to minimize the effects of stress-corrosion sensitization from high-temperature exposure.
When it's used:High strength welded applications where excellent corrosion resistance is required.
Temper: H14
Description: Strain hardened (cold worked) without thermal treatment and 1/2 hard.
When it's used: General purpose medium strength applications.
Temper: H32
Description: Work hardened by rolling then stabilized by low-temperature heat treatment to 1/4 hard.
When it's used: General purpose applications where corrosion resistance is important.
Temper: T3
Description: Solution heat treated, cold worked, and naturally aged to a substantially stable condition
When it's used:When high strength and fatigue and fracture toughness is required.
Temper: T351
Description: Solution heat treatment and stress relieved by stretching. This is equivalent to -T4 condition.
When it's used: Same as T3 but applies to plate and rolled bar that is likely to be machined.
Temper: T4
Description: Solution treated, quenched and naturally aged to a stable condition.
When it's used:When strength and fatigue properties along with corrosion resistance are important.
Temper: T52
Description: Cooled from an elevated temperature shaping process, stress relieved by compressing and then artificially aged.
When it's used:Used for architectural applications.
Temper: T6
Description: Solution heat treated then artificially aged.
When it's used: Structural applications where high strength is required.
Temper: T651
Description: Solution heat treated and stress relieved by stretching and artificially aged.
When it's used:Same as T6 but applies to plate and rolled bar that is likely to be machined.
Temper: T6511
Description: Solution heat treated and stress relieved by stretching and artificially aged with minor straightening.
When it's used: Same as T6 but applies to extruded rod bar and shapes.
Temper: T73
Description: Solution heat treated and then specifically artificially aged.
When it's used: When resistant to stress corrosion is necessary.
Temper: T7351
Description: Solution heat treated and then specifically artificially aged.
When it's used: Same as T73 but applies to sheet and plate.
Temper: T7451
Description: Solution heat-treated, stress-relieved by controlled stretching and then artificially overaged without straightening.
When it's used: When very high strength and resistance to exfoliation corrosion and stress cracking corrosion is required.
Copper, Brass, and Bronze
Temper
Description
When is it used?
Temper: O60
Description: Annealed
When it's used: Applications that require ease of forming and bending.
Temper: H00
Description: 1/8 Hard
When it's used:Forming applications where more resistance to the stresses of expansion and contraction are required.
Temper: H01
Description: ¼ Hard
When it's used:Applications where strength and malleability are both important.
Temper: H02
Description: ½ Hard
When it's used: Most construction applications where strength is most important.
Temper: H58
Description: Drawn General Purpose
When it's used:General purpose tube where strength and hardness are not required.
Temper: H80
Description: Hard Drawn
When it's used: High pressure tube applications and where strength is required.
Temper: M07
Description: As-continuous cast
When it's used:A better quality more cost effective cast bar product that requires machining to finished dimensions.
Temper: M20
Description: As-hot rolled
When it's used:Manufactured temper for hot worked bar and plate.
Temper: M30
Description: As-hot extruded
When it's used: Manufactured temper for hot extruded shapes.
Continue modifying your quoted cart?