May 3, 2022
Metal Made Simple: Aluminum Bar
New to metal buying? Your aluminum experience might be limited to the can your Coke comes in or the sheet of foil covering yesterday’s Texas barbecue.
In an industrial setting, however, aluminum comes in a variety of forms, and one of those is aluminum bar! Here are a few pointers on finding aluminum bar for your business:
Why Aluminum Bar?
The decision to use one metal over another is unique to each project, but aluminum bar is often selected for its strength, corrosion resistance, and workability.
These properties make it a good choice for a variety of applications. For example, a contractor might value corrosion resistance as they source aluminum for a construction project. A metal fabricator might seek aluminum bar stock to process into parts and assemblies via:
Welding or joining
Machining
Sawing
Looking For Aluminum Bar: What You Need to Know
As a metal novice, finding the right aluminum bar might seem complex and riddled with numbers. Any of these questions sound (painfully) familiar?
“We need some ¾” 6061 round bar”
“Where can I order square bars, 0.375” grade 5086?”
“Can you get half-inch 2024 bar delivered?”
The numbers above correlate to grade, shape, and material specifications. When searching for an aluminum bar supplier in Texas, including this information in your inquiry is key.
Aluminum Bar Grade & Shape: An Easy A
Arguably the easiest step to selecting aluminum bar is specifying the shape – round, square, hexagonal, or otherwise. Next, find out what grade you need. Aluminum bar stock comes in a handful of grades including 2011, 2024, and 5086, but the most common grade is 6061.
Aluminum Bar Material Specifications
Once you know which shape and grade of aluminum bar you’re looking for, identify your desired diameter, typically ranging from less than 1/8 of an inch to 10 or more inches. Lastly, specify the length of the bar needed.
Enter Your Aluminum Bar Supplier
You’re almost there! Take material specifications to an aluminum supplier near you to see if they have bar stock available in your required dimensions.
To save time, bring your request to SteelNow and we’ll take your request to our network of 60+ suppliers and track down the metal for you!
Contact SteelNow today and let us find the metal so you don’t have to.
