5mm Aluminum Sheet: Weight, Tolerance, Alloy Choice, Fabrication

5mm aluminum sheet is where sheet starts to become plate: stiff enough for truck floors, machine bases, fixtures and load-bearing gussets, yet still easy to cut, drill and bend on the machines of an ordinary fabrication shop. Because it sits on that boundary, 5 mm material may be cold-rolled or hot-rolled, each with its own tolerance table. A standard sheet already weighs over 40 kg, so a few percent off in thickness means more than a kilogram of aluminum per sheet. This article helps you calculate weight, read tolerances, choose the alloy and plan fabrication of 5mm aluminum sheet.

Key figures to remember when buying 5mm aluminum sheet (compiled by H&D Steel)

How much does 5mm aluminum sheet weigh?

Sheet weight equals density times volume. According to the Aalco and Dinco datasheets, density is about 2.71 g/cm³ for 1050A, 2.73 g/cm³ for 3003 and 2.68 g/cm³ for 5052. At exactly 5 mm:

Quick rule: each millimetre of aluminum thickness weighs roughly 2.7 kg per square metre, so 5 mm sheet is about 13.5 kg/m². A 1,220 × 2,440 mm sheet weighs about 40 kg, needs two people or a forklift to handle, and is the figure to compare against the weighbridge ticket on delivery. These are theoretical weights at exactly 5.00 mm; real sheets vary within the tolerance described below.

Cold-rolled or hot-rolled: ask before reading the tolerance

Cold-rolled aluminum sheet follows the European EN 485-4, hot-rolled plate follows EN 485-3, and American-standard material uses ASTM B209. At 5 mm both rolling routes are on the market, so before inspecting a delivery ask the supplier whether the sheet is cold-rolled or hot-rolled. For cold-rolled material, a 5.0 mm sheet falls in the “over 4.0 up to 5.0 mm” row of the EN 485-4 table. The Color Metal table and the Aalco summary give the same values:

Unlike thin sheet, at this thickness the table no longer separates alloy groups: 1050A, 3003 (group I) and 5052 (group II) share the same tolerance. The two sources differ only in how they label the third width band: Aalco shows 1,500 mm, Color Metal over 1,250 up to 1,600 mm; the tolerance figures are identical. So a compliant cold-rolled sheet 1,250 mm wide must measure between 4.78 and 5.22 mm. On 5 mm sheet, 0.1 mm short is only 2% less metal, far less than on thin sheet; but a sheet measuring 4.7 mm is outside tolerance and about 2.5 kg light on every 1,250 × 2,500 mm sheet. Hot-rolled material has its own, wider tolerance table, so check the standard printed on the mill certificate to know which table applies. Ignore a 10 mm zone at the edges when measuring, as noted with the EN 485-4 table. ASTM B209 has its own inch-based tolerance tables in the paid part of the standard, so this article only cites its scope.

Flatness of 5 mm sheet

The Aalco EN summary allows cold-rolled sheet of 3.0–6.0 mm a maximum flatness deviation of 7.5 mm over 2,500 mm length and 3.75 mm over 1,250 mm width, tighter than the 10 mm allowed for 0.5–3.0 mm sheet. A 5 mm sheet is stiff enough not to wave at the edges like thin sheet, but once bowed it is very hard to straighten in the shop. For machine bases, fixture tables or parts to be CNC milled, check with a straightedge on delivery and require sheets to be transported flat on a pallet, not stacked over widely spaced supports.

Choosing the alloy for 5mm aluminum sheet: 1050, 3003 or 5052?

The properties below are EN 485-2 values quoted in distributor datasheets for the thickness range that includes 5 mm, in commonly stocked tempers:

Quick guide: at 5 mm most parts carry load, so 5052-H32 is the most common choice thanks to its clearly higher tensile strength while remaining weldable and bendable. 3003-H14 is more economical for moderately loaded indoor parts; the Dinco datasheet gives a minimum elongation of 4% for 3003-H14 in the 3.0–6.0 mm range. 1050A is the softest and is best kept for heat or electrical conduction or unloaded panels. Alloy details are on the 1050 aluminum sheet, 3003 aluminum sheet and 5052 aluminum sheet pages.

5 mm aluminum plate needs a suitable punch radius to avoid cracking at the bend — AI-generated illustration

Fabricating 5mm aluminum sheet: bending, cutting, drilling and welding

• Bending: the 90° cold bend radius table of The Aluminum Association (reproduced by Cumberland Metals) has a 3/16 inch point, about 4.8 mm, close to 5 mm sheet. At that point 3003-H14 needs an inside radius of 1t (about 5 mm), 5052-H32 needs 1.5t (about 7.5 mm) and 5052-H34 needs 2t (about 10 mm). Tighter bends risk cracking on the outside of the fold. The table has no values for 1050, so test-bend a sample first with that alloy.
• Cutting: 5 mm sheet can be cut with an adequately powered fiber laser, plasma, a circular saw or a hydraulic shear of suitable capacity. Laser and plasma leave a heat-affected edge; for clean, accurate edges, mill the edge after cutting.
• Drilling and tapping: 5 mm is thick enough to tap threads directly for small screws, but aluminum is soft and threads strip easily with repeated assembly. Where parts are taken apart often, use thread inserts or through-bolts with nuts.
• Welding: 5 mm sheet is much easier to MIG or TIG weld than thin sheet, with less burn-through and distortion. Both 3003 and 5052 weld well, but the zone around the weld softens compared with the original H14 or H32 temper, so load-bearing welds need a margin.

When should you choose another thickness?

For housings and covers that carry no load, 5 mm is usually more than needed; see the article on 3mm aluminum sheet weight, tolerance and alloy choice or 2mm aluminum sheet for a lighter, cheaper option. Conversely, machine bases with deep milled pockets, fixtures or heavily loaded gussets call for 10mm aluminum plate. Truck floors and steps that must be slip-resistant can use aluminum tread plate instead of flat sheet.

Common mistakes when buying 5mm aluminum sheet

1. Not asking whether the sheet is cold-rolled or hot-rolled. The two follow different tolerance tables; check against the wrong one and you cannot tell whether the sheet complies.
2. Not measuring and not weighing. Use a micrometer at three or more points over 10 mm from the edge. A 1,250 × 2,500 mm 5052 sheet weighs about 41.9 kg in theory; below about 40 kg it is thinner than the cold-rolled tolerance.
3. Quotations without alloy and temper. Two sheets both called “5 mm” can be 1050A-H14 and 5052-H32, about double apart in tensile strength and very different in price.
4. Bending with too small a radius. Sharp press-brake tooling meant for steel can crack the fold in 5 mm 5052; choose tooling with a radius matching the table above.
5. Not asking for a mill certificate. The certificate must show the standard, chemical composition and mechanical properties for the actual lot, especially for load-bearing or vibration-loaded parts.

References

• Cold-rolled sheet thickness tolerances to EN 485-4 (Color Metal)
• Aalco – EN Standards for Rolled Aluminium: thickness and flatness tolerances
• ASTM B209/B209M-21a – Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate (scope)
• Dinco – Aluminium Alloy 3003 H14 datasheet
• Cumberland Metals – Minimum bend radii per The Aluminum Association
• Aalco – 1050A H14 and 5052 H32 datasheets (density, EN 485-2 mechanical properties)

If you need 5mm aluminum sheet in 1050, 3003 or 5052 in the right size with a mill certificate, please send a request through the aluminum sheet and coil quotation page or call hotline/Zalo 0904 678 236 (Sales Department) for advice on the right alloy and thickness for your job.