What Is 6063 Extruded Aluminum
Updated: 9 Oct 2025
6063 aluminum alloy is widely used in everyday life, often being extruded to produce specific products. Its superior corrosion resistance makes it sought-after for diverse applications. Magnesium and silicon in 6063 aluminum alloy deliver robust mechanical properties. Its excellent thermal performance and smooth surface suit extrusion perfectly. Thus, this alloy, blending strength, workability, and corrosion resistance, is widely used in construction and industry.
1. Excellent Heat Treatability
After heat treatment, it achieves medium strength, high impact toughness, and low notch sensitivity. Standard heat treatment processes include T5 and T6.
Each heat treatment has distinct features that meet the demands of specific applications.
6063-T5: After extrusion, it is air-cooled and then artificially aged. It features excellent dimensional stability, moderate hardness, and easy control, making it commonly used in profiles such as doors, windows, and curtain walls.
6063-T6: After extrusion, it is water-cooled and then artificially aged. While it boasts high strength and hardness, its rapid cooling rate makes it more susceptible to deformation and difficult to control, especially for thin-walled profiles or those with openings. It is more suitable for industrial or structural parts requiring high strength.
2. Good Thermoplasticity
It has excellent thermoplasticity, allowing it to be extruded at high speed into various thin-walled, hollow profiles with complex structures or forged into complex parts. It has a wide quenching temperature range and low quench sensitivity, allowing thin-walled profiles to be air-quenched directly on the extrusion press.
3. Good Weldability
It performs well in arc welding, resistance welding, and brazing, and shows excellent corrosion resistance. Under normal use, stress corrosion cracking is negligible, making it a reliable alloy.
4. Good Surface Finishability
The finished surface is smooth, easily accommodating subsequent treatments such as anodizing, electrophoresis, powder coating, or spray painting. These enhance corrosion resistance and enable varied colors and finishes.
5. Excellent Processability
Superior extrusion processability allows easy formation of complex profiles and custom cross-sections. This adaptability drives use in construction, industry, and transportation, and eases customization.
6. Excellent Mechanical Properties
After heat treatment, 6063 aluminum alloy profiles exhibit excellent comprehensive mechanical properties, ensuring sufficient structural strength while maintaining good ductility and toughness.
6063 aluminum alloy’s low magnesium and silicon content, with minimal copper, grants high thermal conductivity close to pure aluminum.
Decoration and Renovation: Furniture Frames, Screen Partitions, Baseboards, Decorative Strips
Consumer Electronics: Lamp Heat Sinks, Electronic Product Housings
6063 vs. 6061 Aluminum Alloy
Besides 6063, 6061 aluminum alloy is widely used. Both alloys share primary elements but differ in composition, producing unique mechanical properties. 6061 offers higher strength and exceptional machinability for custom, robust profiles. 6063 processes easily into complex forms, offers a smooth surface, and enhances corrosion resistance. Additionally, 6063’s superior anodizing yields an even, vibrant, and smooth finish, making it ideal for products demanding high aesthetic appeal, like building curtain walls and mobile phone cases.
Therefore, if your project requires extremely high structural strength, high loads, or extensive machining such as turning and milling, choose 6061 aluminum alloy. If you need to extrude complex cross-sections, thin-walled profiles, or if you require a precise appearance, choose 6063 aluminum alloy.
With these differences in mind, you may wonder why you should partner with us for your aluminum extrusion needs.
Shenghai Aluminum operates a comprehensive extrusion and processing line. All extrusion projects use 6063 alloy. We provide further processing services, including anodizing, powder coating, and electrophoresis. For more on our extrusion solutions, contact us for a free quote.
Characteristics of 6063 Extruded Aluminum
The 6063 aluminum alloy series is widely used for extrusions in construction, industry, and other fields due to its strong corrosion resistance, good mechanical properties, and smooth extrudability.1. Excellent Heat Treatability
After heat treatment, it achieves medium strength, high impact toughness, and low notch sensitivity. Standard heat treatment processes include T5 and T6.
Each heat treatment has distinct features that meet the demands of specific applications.
6063-T5: After extrusion, it is air-cooled and then artificially aged. It features excellent dimensional stability, moderate hardness, and easy control, making it commonly used in profiles such as doors, windows, and curtain walls.
6063-T6: After extrusion, it is water-cooled and then artificially aged. While it boasts high strength and hardness, its rapid cooling rate makes it more susceptible to deformation and difficult to control, especially for thin-walled profiles or those with openings. It is more suitable for industrial or structural parts requiring high strength.
2. Good Thermoplasticity
It has excellent thermoplasticity, allowing it to be extruded at high speed into various thin-walled, hollow profiles with complex structures or forged into complex parts. It has a wide quenching temperature range and low quench sensitivity, allowing thin-walled profiles to be air-quenched directly on the extrusion press.
3. Good Weldability
It performs well in arc welding, resistance welding, and brazing, and shows excellent corrosion resistance. Under normal use, stress corrosion cracking is negligible, making it a reliable alloy.
4. Good Surface Finishability
The finished surface is smooth, easily accommodating subsequent treatments such as anodizing, electrophoresis, powder coating, or spray painting. These enhance corrosion resistance and enable varied colors and finishes.
5. Excellent Processability
Superior extrusion processability allows easy formation of complex profiles and custom cross-sections. This adaptability drives use in construction, industry, and transportation, and eases customization.
6. Excellent Mechanical Properties
After heat treatment, 6063 aluminum alloy profiles exhibit excellent comprehensive mechanical properties, ensuring sufficient structural strength while maintaining good ductility and toughness.
6063 aluminum alloy’s low magnesium and silicon content, with minimal copper, grants high thermal conductivity close to pure aluminum.
Applications of 6063 Extruded Aluminum Profiles
Construction and Building Materials: Door and Window Profiles, Curtain Wall Profiles, Sunroom Frames, Glass RailingsDecoration and Renovation: Furniture Frames, Screen Partitions, Baseboards, Decorative Strips
Consumer Electronics: Lamp Heat Sinks, Electronic Product Housings
6063 vs. 6061 Aluminum Alloy
Besides 6063, 6061 aluminum alloy is widely used. Both alloys share primary elements but differ in composition, producing unique mechanical properties. 6061 offers higher strength and exceptional machinability for custom, robust profiles. 6063 processes easily into complex forms, offers a smooth surface, and enhances corrosion resistance. Additionally, 6063’s superior anodizing yields an even, vibrant, and smooth finish, making it ideal for products demanding high aesthetic appeal, like building curtain walls and mobile phone cases.
Therefore, if your project requires extremely high structural strength, high loads, or extensive machining such as turning and milling, choose 6061 aluminum alloy. If you need to extrude complex cross-sections, thin-walled profiles, or if you require a precise appearance, choose 6063 aluminum alloy.
With these differences in mind, you may wonder why you should partner with us for your aluminum extrusion needs.
Shenghai Aluminum operates a comprehensive extrusion and processing line. All extrusion projects use 6063 alloy. We provide further processing services, including anodizing, powder coating, and electrophoresis. For more on our extrusion solutions, contact us for a free quote.
