Apr. 18, 2025
3003 aluminum tubing belongs to the AL-Mn series rust-proof aluminum alloy, with aluminum as the base and added manganese (content 1.0-1.5%). It combines good corrosion resistance, workability, and moderate strength. Its strength is slightly higher than that of commercially pure aluminum, but it cannot be strengthened by heat treatment, relying mainly on cold working (such as cold rolling and extrusion) to improve its mechanical properties.
3003 aluminum tubing is a widely used, non-heat-treatable alloy that features moderate strength, excellent corrosion resistance, formability, and weldability. It is an ideal choice for various tubing applications such as HVAC systems, heat exchangers, and decorative architectural components. It is typically supplied in the annealed (O) condition or various strain-hardened tempers (H14/H16/H18), and produced through extrusion or drawing processes with precise dimensions that conform to ASTM/AMS specifications.
We specialize in the production of 3003 Aluminum Tubing. The material is optimized through heat treatment to balance strength and formability, making it suitable for applications in aerospace fuel lines, chemical containers, and food processing equipment. Our products meet international standards and exhibit excellent stress corrosion resistance. Surface treatments such as fluorocarbon coating and anodizing are supported. We also provide ultra-wide (1500-3000mm) and ultra-long (10-15 meters) plate material support services, with customized sizes available upon request to ensure fast delivery and cost control.
The nominal composition of 3003 aluminum tubing is:
Annealed (O) Condition
| Category | Details |
| Outer Diameter (OD) | From 1/8 inch to 5/8 inch (commonly used range in aerospace applications), with a maximum of up to 4 inches for industrial use. |
| Wall Thickness | Common wall thicknesses include: 0.035 inch, 0.049 inch, 0.065 inch. |
| Among them, the 0.035 inch wall thickness is often used in automotive fuel line systems, balancing weight reduction and strength requirements. | |
| Common OD Sizes | 0.250 inch, 0.375 inch, 0.500 inch, 0.625 inch, 0.750 inch, 1.000 inch, 1.500 inch, |
| Widely used in air conditioning systems, automotive fuel systems, structural supports, and more. | |
| Applicable Standards and Specifications | ASTM B210: Standard for the manufacturing of seamless and welded round tubes of aluminum and aluminum alloys. |
| AMS 4067: Specification for cold-drawn aluminum alloy tubing used in aerospace, designed for high reliability requirements. | |
| ASTM B483: Specifies manufacturing and finish requirements for cold-drawn seamless tubes of aluminum and aluminum alloys, commonly used in structural and precision systems. | |
| ASME SB209: Standard related to pressure vessel applications. | |
| BS EN 573-3 and BS EN 485-2: European standards covering chemical composition and performance/tolerance control for machined aluminum alloy products. |
| Product Name | Description |
| 3003 Drawn Aluminum Tubing | 3003 Drawn Aluminum Tubing is manufactured through a cold drawing process, resulting in higher dimensional accuracy and a denser metal structure. Cold drawing enhances the mechanical properties and provides a smoother surface, making it suitable for applications requiring high structural strength and surface quality, such as precision instruments, automotive components, and refrigeration equipment. This product also retains the excellent corrosion resistance and good formability of the 3003 alloy, making it ideal for situations requiring complex bending or forming processes. |
| Seamless 3003 Aluminum Tubing | Seamless 3003 Aluminum Tubing is a seamless aluminum alloy tube produced through extrusion or piercing and drawing processes. The seamless structure offers superior pressure resistance and sealing performance. This seamless tube is particularly suitable for liquid or gas transmission systems and applications sensitive to leakage risks, such as hydraulic pipelines, chemical equipment, and refrigeration systems. It maintains the excellent corrosion resistance of the 3003 aluminum alloy while providing higher structural reliability. |
| 3003 Aluminum Round Tubing | 3003 Aluminum Round Tubing is a round-section aluminum tube made from 3003 aluminum alloy, featuring good formability and oxidation resistance. This round tube is widely used in decorative structures, furniture manufacturing, ventilation ducts, and outdoor applications. Its smooth appearance and strong corrosion resistance make it especially suitable for projects requiring anodizing or coating treatments. Due to its symmetrical structure, it is easy to install and connect, making it a common choice for general-purpose aluminum tubing. |
| 3003-0 Aluminum Round Tubing | 3003-0 Aluminum Round Tubing is an annealed "O" temper 3003 aluminum round tube, offering maximum flexibility and ductility, suitable for cold working into complex shapes. This temper of aluminum tubing is particularly suitable for applications requiring multiple bends without cracking, such as piping layouts in air conditioning and refrigeration systems, or structural components requiring custom bent parts. Although it has lower strength, its excellent workability makes it highly advantageous in precision manufacturing fields. |
| Round Aluminum Tube 3003-H14 | Round Aluminum Tube 3003-H14 is a 3003 aluminum round tube in H14 semi-hard temper, possessing moderate strength and good workability after partial cold working. This temper of aluminum tubing balances strength and ductility, widely used in automotive parts, engineering structures, home building materials, and indoor and outdoor decorations. Its smooth surface is easy to weld and process, making it an ideal material for applications requiring structural stability and certain strength. |
| Performance Characteristic | Description |
| Corrosion Resistance | 3003 Aluminum Tubing exhibits excellent resistance to atmospheric and chemical corrosion, especially suitable for humid, acidic, or saline environments. Therefore, it is widely used in outdoor facilities, HVAC equipment, building systems, and industrial chemical pipelines. It maintains a long service life and good appearance in most environments. |
| Workability | 3003 Aluminum Tubing possesses outstanding workability, particularly suitable for welding, bending, flanging, spinning, and various forming processes. Its good ductility makes it suitable for manufacturing complex cross-sections, shaft structures, and special-shaped connectors, facilitating diverse designs and integrated applications. |
| Formability | 3003 Aluminum Tubing in O temper has soft characteristics, making it extremely easy for bending, stretching, stamping, and spinning plastic forming processes. It is an ideal material for flexible forming and crack-free processing, suitable for pipe winding and special elbow fabrication. |
| Weldability | 3003 Aluminum Tubing can achieve high-quality welds through traditional welding methods (such as TIG and MIG), with minimal risk of cracks or porosity during welding. It is suitable for assembly situations with high sealing requirements, such as pressure vessels, fuel systems, and heat exchange systems. |
| Strength | 3003 Aluminum Tubing has moderate strength. Although it is not as strong as heat-treatable aluminum alloys like 6061, it can meet the strength requirements of various light structures and medium-load systems in its strain-hardened states (such as H14, H16). It is suitable for applications like structural supports, enclosures, and pressurized pipelines. |
| Limitations | The main limitation of 3003 Aluminum Tubing lies in its relatively poor anodizing performance. After anodizing treatment, it is prone to color inconsistency, making it less ideal for applications requiring aesthetic appearance or surface coloring. Decorative anodizing treatment is generally not recommended. |
Seamless tubes are typically manufactured using extrusion or cold drawing processes; the drawing process improves dimensional accuracy and surface finish.
When manufacturing 3003 aluminum tubing, extrusion or cold drawing processes are commonly used, especially for the production of seamless tubes.
Extrusion Process
Extrusion is a forming method in which heated aluminum billets are subjected to high pressure in an extrusion press, forcing them through a specific die to form the desired tube cross-section. For 3003 aluminum alloy, hot extrusion is generally used to produce seamless tubes.
Process steps:
Process features:
Cold Drawing Process
Cold drawing is a process in which aluminum tubes are drawn through dies at room temperature, gradually reducing tube diameter and wall thickness while improving dimensional accuracy and surface finish. It is generally used for further precision processing of extruded semi-finished products.
Process steps:
Process features:
Summary Comparison:
| Item | Extrusion Process | Cold Drawing Process |
| Applicable Specifications | Medium to large diameter tubes | Small diameter precision tubes |
| Surface Quality | General | Excellent |
| Dimensional Accuracy | Moderate | High |
| Forming Temperature | Hot working | Cold working |
| Strength Variation | Adjustable with heat treatment | Significant cold work hardening |
| Processing Cost | Relatively high | Relatively low but with more steps |
Available Tempers:
| 3003 Aluminum Tubing Temper | Description |
| O (Annealed Temper) | 3003 Aluminum Tubing in the O temper (fully annealed) exhibits excellent ductility and formability, suitable for applications requiring extensive bending, spinning, flanging, or deep drawing, such as air conditioning pipelines, heat exchangers, ventilation ducts, and other components demanding high formability. Although the strength in this temper is relatively low, the tubing resists cracking during processing, making it an ideal choice for soft-state forming. |
| H14 (Partially Annealed, Strain-Hardened) | 3003 Aluminum Tubing in the H14 temper undergoes strain hardening and partial annealing, offering moderate strength along with good ductility and a certain degree of compressive and tensile strength. It is suitable for applications requiring a balance of strength and moderate formability, such as architectural decorative tubing, lightweight structural components, mechanical sheaths, and general industrial piping. This temper achieves a good balance between strength and workability. |
| H16 (Higher Strain-Hardening) | 3003 Aluminum Tubing in the H16 temper is subjected to a higher degree of strain hardening than H14, providing greater strength and hardness but reduced ductility and formability. It is suitable for applications requiring higher rigidity and strength with relatively low complexity in forming, such as structural support tubes, electrical conduits, and protective frames. The enhanced strength in this temper improves overall structural durability. |
| H18 (Maximum Strain-Hardening) | 3003 Aluminum Tubing in the H18 temper undergoes maximum strain hardening, reaching the alloy's ultimate strength. It has virtually no plasticity and is essentially incapable of further cold forming or bending. This temper is suited for components requiring extremely high strength and rigidity with no need for post-processing, such as mechanical supports, high-strength housings, fixed fixtures, or abrasion-resistant conduits. It is the high-strength choice in an extreme hardened condition. |
| Application Field | Specific Applications |
| Chemical and Pressure Vessels | Storage tanks, piping, and process equipment in chemical plants |
| Automotive and Marine | Fuel lines and hydraulic/pneumatic lines in aircraft, ships, and vehicles |
| Aerospace | Fuel tanks, oil delivery ducts, rocket engine housings |
| Automotive Manufacturing | Radiators, air conditioning ducts, heat exchangers (corrosion-resistant, high thermal conductivity) |
| Chemical/Energy | Liquid/gas transmission pipelines, chemical containers, new energy battery components |
| Automotive | Fuel lines (e.g., coiled tubing for fuel systems), radiators, and brake lines (experimental aircraft) |
| Aerospace | Instrument air/vacuum lines and primer systems |
| Construction | Roofs, piping systems, and storage tanks |
3003 aluminum tubing is a cost-effective and versatile solution, ideal for applications that require lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and formable materials. It is the preferred choice for engineers and manufacturers across industries ranging from automotive fuel systems to aerospace instruments.
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