MATERIAL NOTES
Aluminium melting point —
and why forging cares.
660°C is where pure aluminium melts. Forging happens well below it — and the gap between the two numbers decides how your part forms.
Quick answer
Pure aluminium melts at 660°C. Alloys melt over a range — 6061, for example, starts melting around 582°C and is fully liquid near 652°C. Hot forging works the metal typically between 350–480°C: soft enough to flow into the die, far enough from melting to stay solid and controllable.
Why the forging window matters to your part
Temperature decides how the metal moves:
- Too cold — high press loads, incomplete fill, higher die wear
- In the window — clean filling of deep ribs and bosses, fine grain
- Too hot — coarse grain, incipient melting at edges, scrap
The window is one reason forging suppliers specialise by alloy family — every grade moves differently.
The grades we run
| Alloy | Melting range (°C, approx.) | Typical use at XPF |
|---|---|---|
| 6061 | ~582–652 | The structural workhorse — crank arms, brackets |
| 6063 | ~616–654 | Best anodised appearance |
| 6082 | ~570–638 | Higher strength, EN-spec structural |
| 7075 | ~477–635 | Highest strength; tighter working window |
Ranges are indicative references for grade comparison — certified values come from mill certificates per batch.
What about T6?
Melting sets the ceiling; heat treatment sets the strength. After forming, age-hardening to the T6 condition is what gives 6061-T6 and 7075-T6 their rated mechanicals. Forging shops that also control heat treatment control the final strength of your part.
Practical takeaway for buyers
You don’t need the phase diagram — you need a supplier who runs your alloy weekly and proves the result with mill certs and hardness checks. That’s a two-line question for your audit: “Which grades do you forge in volume, and show me a cert.”
Have a part in 6061 or 7075?
Send the drawing — we run both daily.