ForMatter/Materials/metal/Aluminum 5052
mat_aluminum_5052

Aluminum 5052

wrought aluminum alloy, magnesium solid-solution, sheetmetal-grade · 5052-H32, Al-Mg sheet, marine aluminum sheet
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The aluminum sheet metal is made from when somebody is going to bend it — kitchen panels, fuel tanks, marine bulkheads, the formed edges on consumer electronics. Magnesium gives it strength without making it brittle, and unlike 6061 it doesn't lose ductility through forming. Also salt-water tolerant in a way 6061 isn't.

Non-heat-treatable Al-Mg alloy (2.5% Mg, 0.25% Cr nominal). Solid-solution + work-hardening as the strengthening mechanisms; H32 is the standard ¼-hard temper. Tensile 230 MPa H32. Excellent salt-water corrosion resistance — outperforms 6061 in marine environments. Sheet-and-plate workhorse; rarely available as extrusion.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_h32230
  • yield_strength_mpa_h32195
  • elongation_pct_h3212
  • hardness_brinell_h3260
source: ASM Handbook Vol. 2; MakeItFrom

thermal

  • liquidus_c649
  • solidus_c607
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk138
source: MakeItFrom

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg8.4
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • embodied carbon recycled kg co2e per kg0.55
  • recyclabilityhigh — closed-loop, especially good for sheet recovery
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsAMS 4017, ASTM B209
visual
matte silver, slightly cooler-toned than 6061 in side-by-side view
tactile
smooth, soft enough to dimple under hand pressure on thin gauges
weight perception
light

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere metallic finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      metallic
albedo        #bcc0c6
metallic      1.00
roughness     0.25
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#bcc0c6",
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Aluminum 5052 · finish: metallic
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_aluminum_5052")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.5029, 0.5271, 0.5647, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Aluminum 5052 · finish: metallic
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_aluminum_5052", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (188, 192, 198))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     1.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Aluminum 5052 \u00b7 finish: metallic",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.5029,
    "g": 0.5271,
    "b": 0.5647
  },
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_aluminum_5052",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.5029,
          0.5271,
          0.5647,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 1.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.25
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Aluminum 5052 · finish: metallic
def Material "mat_aluminum_5052" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_aluminum_5052/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.5029, 0.5271, 0.5647)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 1.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.250
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessSheet-Metal Bending · Laser Cutting · Water-Jet Cutting · Riveting · TIG Welding
Substitutes
Aluminum 6061
Aluminum 6063

Citations