Material
Aluminum 6061 Parts
The default alloy for a reason: strong, light, affordable.
6061 is the alloy to pick when nothing about the part says otherwise: strong enough for most structural work, light, easy to anodize, and quick to machine, which is most of what you pay for. If the print says aluminum and doesn’t say why, it usually means 6061. Send a STEP file and a PDF print through the quote form and a quote comes back in 24-48 hours.
Updated June 2026
Aluminum 6061
The default alloy for a reason: strong enough for most work, light, affordable, and it anodizes well.
Why 6061 is the default
6061 earns its reputation honestly. In the T6 temper (how bar and plate stock is normally supplied) it has a yield strength around 40 ksi, which covers the loads most brackets, housings, and fixtures will ever see. It resists corrosion well enough to live indoors bare, welds cleanly when an assembly calls for it, and is stocked everywhere in plate, bar, and extrusion, so material availability is never the long pole in a lead time.
Just as important, it cuts fast and predictably. Machining time is the biggest cost driver in a custom part, and 6061 keeps that number down: the same geometry quoted in stainless or titanium can cost several times as much in material and time.
What gets made from it
Most milled parts are 6061: mounting brackets, enclosures and housings, fixture plates, manifolds, cover plates, heat sinks. Turned 6061 shows up as standoffs, bosses, and spacers, plus weld-in bungs. It suits one-offs and small batches equally well (there’s no minimum order) and typical tolerances run ±0.005 in on milled features and ±0.001 in on critical turned diameters, tighter where the print calls for it.
Finishes that suit it
6061 anodizes about as well as any alloy. Type II anodize in clear or black is the standard callout: corrosion and scratch resistance with a clean matte look. Dyed colors (red, blue, gold) are available, and Type III hardcoat steps up wear resistance for sliding surfaces. Bead blasting evens out tool marks before anodize, and powder coat works when you want paint-grade color with more durability.
Bare 6061 is fine for indoor fixtures and prototypes. Anything that lives outside, gets handled daily, or mates with steel hardware is worth anodizing: it’s a small line item next to the machining.
6061 or 7075?
7075 is roughly 80% stronger by yield and is the right call when a 6061 part would bend or crack. But the two alloys have nearly identical stiffness. If your part is deflection-limited rather than strength-limited, 7075 won’t make it noticeably stiffer, just more expensive. 6061 also welds and resists corrosion better. Strength-critical and weight-critical: 7075. Everything else: 6061.
Questions
Before you send a job.
01 Is 6061 strong enough for structural parts?
Usually. At roughly 40 ksi yield in T6, it covers most brackets, mounts, and frames with room to spare. If your numbers say it’s marginal (high loads, thin sections, fatigue) step up to 7075 or steel rather than thickening the part until it works. Load notes on the print help the quote come back right the first time.
02 What does the T6 in 6061-T6 mean?
It’s the temper: solution heat-treated and artificially aged. T6 is how 6061 bar and plate is normally supplied, and the published strength numbers assume it. You don’t need to call it out specially: quoted 6061 parts are T6 unless your print asks for something else.
03 Can 6061 parts be anodized in color?
Yes, clear and black are the workhorses, and red, blue, gold, and other dyed colors are available in Type II. Two notes: dye lots can vary slightly between batches, and Type III hardcoat runs darker and mutes color, so spec Type II when the shade matters.
04 Does 6061 corrode?
It doesn’t rust like steel: it forms its own protective oxide layer, and bare parts do fine indoors. Outdoors, in washdown, or bolted to steel hardware (which invites galvanic corrosion), spec anodize and isolate dissimilar metals where you can.
05 Is 6061 weldable?
Yes, it TIG-welds cleanly, which is one of its advantages over 7075. The heat-affected zone loses some of its T6 strength, so welded assemblies are designed around that. If your part is a weldment, 6061 is almost always the right aluminum.
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