ASTM and EN are the most important international certification and standard systems for aluminum bar, serving as crucial bases for international trade. They signify that aluminum bar products undergo rigorous control from raw materials and production processes to quality control and final inspection, and are accompanied by corresponding material certificates (MTC, Mill Test Certificate) to ensure traceable and verifiable performance, meeting design and usage requirements.
ASTM – American Society for Testing and Materials
The ASTM standards are among the most widely recognized and used material standards internationally, especially in the North American market. ASTM standards for aluminum bars are primarily divided into three categories: Material Specifications, Test Methods, and Dimensional Tolerances.
1. Material Specification Standards
These standards specify requirements for chemical composition, mechanical properties, dimensional tolerances, etc., for aluminum bars of specific alloys and tempers.
| Standard |
Standard Title |
Key Description |
| ASTM B211 | Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Bar, Rod, and Wire | The most fundamental general-purpose standard. This standard applies to aluminum and aluminum-alloy bar, rod, and wire. These are produced by rolling or drawing. They can be circular, square, or hexagonal in shape. It applies where the diameter or distance between parallel surfaces is 3/4 in. (19 mm) or less. Covers many alloys (e.g., 2011, 2017, 2024, 6061, 7075) and tempers (e.g., O, T4, T6, T651). |
| ASTM B221 | Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Wire, Profiles, and Tubes | The most commonly used standard for extruded products. Covers extruded products of various cross-sections, including bars (typically with a diameter or distance between parallel surfaces greater than 3/4 in.) produced by the hot extrusion process. This is the most widely used aluminum bar standard in industrial applications, covering almost all common alloys from the 1xxx to 7xxx series. |
| ASTM B316/B316M | Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Rivet and Cold Heading Wire and Rods | Specifically for wire and rod intended for the manufacture of rivets, screws, bolts, and other parts by cold heading. Has special requirements for surface quality, internal structure, and cold upset properties. Common alloys include 1100, 2017, 2117, 6053. |
| ASTM B317 | Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bar, Rod, Pipe, and Structural Profiles for Electrical Purposes (Bus Conductor) | Specifically for extruded products used to manufacture electrical bus conductors. Primarily uses Alloy 6101 (Temper T6 or H111) due to its good electrical conductivity and adequate strength. Includes explicit requirements for electrical conductivity. |
2. Test Method Standards
These standards define how to test and evaluate the various performance indicators of aluminum bars, supporting the material specification standards.
|
Standard |
Standard Title |
Key Description |
|
ASTM E8/E8M |
Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials | The document specifies the sample preparation and testing methods for determining the mechanical properties of aluminum rods, such as tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation. |
|
ASTM B557 |
Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing Wrought and Cast Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products | The tensile test specifically for aluminum-magnesium alloy products is a supplement to ASTM E8, specifying more detailed specimen dimensions. |
|
ASTM E34 |
Standard Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Aluminum and Aluminum-Base Alloys | The document specifies a detailed procedure for determining the chemical composition of aluminum rods using methods such as spectroscopy. |
|
ASTM E607 |
Standard Test Method for Optical Emission Spectrometric Analysis of Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys by the Point-to-Plane Technique | The most commonly used rapid composition analysis method in modern aluminum plants. |
|
ASTM B660 |
Standard Practices for Packaging/Packing of Aluminum and Magnesium Products | The regulations specify the packaging, marking, and transportation requirements for products such as aluminum rods to ensure that the products are protected from damage and corrosion during transportation. |
|
ASTM E29 |
Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications | It specifies the limits for determining whether test data (such as size and composition) meets the standard requirements. |
3. Dimensional Tolerance Standards
These standards specify the permissible deviations for aluminum bar dimensions such as diameter, length, straightness, and twist.
|
Standard |
Standard Title |
Key Description |
|
ASTM B249/B249M |
Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wrought Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Mill Products | A critically important foundational standard. It is referenced by nearly all material specifications (e.g., B211, B221). It consolidates and standardizes general requirements such as ordering information, quality assurance, chemical composition, dimensional tolerances, retesting of mechanical properties, number of test specimens, marking, and packaging. |
|
ASTM B941 |
Standard Specification for Heat Treatment of Aluminum-Alloy Products for Electrical Applications | Specifies heat treatment requirements specifically for electrical-grade aluminum bars (e.g., 6101-T6) to ensure their electrical conductivity and mechanical properties. |
EN – European Standard
EN standards are standards developed by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and are mandatory in EU member states. The EN standards are usually harmonized with ISO standards and are a key passport to the European market. The EN standard system for aluminum rods is mainly divided into three categories: product standards, test methods, and aerospace-specific standards.
1. Product Standards
|
Standard |
Standard Title |
Key Description |
|
EN 755 Series |
Aluminium and aluminium alloys — Extruded rod/bar, tube and profiles | The most central standard for extruded products in the EN system.This series is divided into nine parts, comprehensively specifying the technical requirements for extruded products. |
|
EN 755-1 |
Part 1: Technical conditions for inspection and delivery | Specifies general requirements such as ordering information, quality assurance, inspection procedures, sampling frequency, rules for retesting, marking, and packaging. |
|
EN 755-2 |
Part 2: Mechanical properties | The core part.Lists, in tabular form, the mechanical property requirements (including tensile strength, yield strength, elongation) for all alloys and tempers (e.g., F, O, H112, T4, T5, T6, T651, T6510, T6511). |
|
EN 755-3 |
Part 3: Round bars, tolerances on dimensions and form | Specifies tolerances for dimensions and form of round extruded bars, such as diameter, length, straightness, and twist. |
|
EN 755-4 |
Part 4: Square bars, tolerances on dimensions and form | Specifies tolerances for dimensions and form of square extruded bars, such as side length, length, straightness, twist, and flatness. |
|
EN 755-5 |
Part 5: Rectangular bars, tolerances on dimensions and form | Specifies tolerances for dimensions and form of rectangular extruded bars, such as width, thickness, length, straightness, twist, and flatness. |
|
EN 755-6 |
Part 6: Hexagonal bars, tolerances on dimensions and form | Specifies tolerances for dimensions and form of hexagonal extruded bars, such as width across flats, length, straightness, and twist. |
|
EN 573-3 |
Aluminium and aluminium alloys — Chemical composition and form of wrought products — Part 3: Chemical composition and form of products | The authoritative standard for chemical composition.Lists, in tabular form, all wrought aluminum and aluminum alloy international designations (e.g., EN AW-1050A, EN AW-6060, EN AW-6082, EN AW-7075) and their chemical composition limits. |
2. Test Method Standards
|
Standard |
Standard Title |
Key Description |
|
EN 10002-1 |
Metallic materials — Tensile testing — Part 1: Method of test at ambient temperature | Specifies the method for tensile testing of metallic materials, including aluminum bars, to determine properties like tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation. |
|
EN 12258-1 |
Aluminium and aluminium alloys — Terms and definitions — Part 1: General terms | Standardizes terminology in the aluminum industry to ensure accurate technical communication. |
|
EN 14242 |
Aluminium and aluminium alloys — Chemical analysis — Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectral analysis | Specifies a standard method for chemical analysis using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, a common rapid analysis technique. |
|
EN ISO 6892-1 |
Metallic materials — Tensile testing — Part 1: Method of test at room temperature (ISO 6892-1) | This is an ISO standard adopted by EN (a Harmonized Standard). It is similar to EN 10002-1 and represents a more international version. |
3. Aerospace Series Standards
The EN system includes a dedicated series for aerospace applications with extremely stringent requirements.
|
Standard |
Standard Title |
Key Description |
|
EN 2004-1 |
Aerospace series — Test methods for aluminium and aluminium alloy products — Part 1: Tensile testing | Specifies tensile testing methods for aerospace aluminum materials, with higher requirements than general standards. |
|
EN 2127 |
Aerospace series — Aluminium alloy AL-P7075-T73511 — Extruded bar and section | Specifically defines requirements for extruded bars and sections of aerospace-grade aluminum alloy AL-P7075-T73511. |
|
EN 2346 |
Aerospace series — Aluminium alloy AL-P2024-T3511 — Extruded bar and section 6 mm ≤ a or D ≤ 150 mm | Specifically defines requirements for extruded bars and sections of aerospace-grade aluminum alloy AL-P2024-T3511. |
|
EN 2385 |
Aerospace series — Aluminium alloy AL-P7009-T74511 — Extruded bar and section | Specifically defines requirements for extruded bars and sections of aerospace-grade aluminum alloy AL-P7009-T74511. |
|
EN 4050-1 |
Aerospace series — Inspection of wrought aluminium alloy bars — Part 1: General requirements | Specifies general requirements for inspection of wrought aluminum alloy bars for aerospace, including non-destructive testing (e.g., ultrasonic inspection). |
4. Other Important Standards
|
Standard |
Standard Title |
Key Description |
|
EN 10204 |
Metallic products — Types of inspection documents | An extremely important document standard. It defines the types of inspection documents, such as Mill Test Certificates (MTC). These include Type 2.1, a manufacturer’s declaration of compliance. Type 2.2 is a manufacturer’s declaration with third-party verification. The type 3.1 is a third-party inspection certificate. Type 3.2 is a more comprehensive third-party inspection certificate. This is a key document for proving product conformity to EN standards. |
|
EN ISO 9001 |
Quality management systems — Requirements (ISO 9001) | Although not a product standard, manufacturers producing aluminum bars conforming to EN standards are often required to be EN ISO 9001 certified to ensure the effectiveness of their quality management system. |
About Us
Shandong Hesheng Taifu Aluminum Group Co., Ltd. is a leading aluminum bar producer and supplier in China. And has been recognized as a “China Integrity Enterprise” for many consecutive years. We specialize in the production, processing, and trading of aluminum rods. With over 18 years of experience in the aluminum industry, we can provide a full range of high-quality aluminum rods at competitive prices.