Aluminum Round Tube

Aluminum round tubing is generally favored for projects where strength along with lightweight and corrosion resistance are key considerations.

If you need to weld your tubes, keep in mind that aluminum tubes need special procedures to be welded because the welding wears off from tooling.

One common application for aluminum round tube is in the transportation industry for bicycle frames, but it can also be found in temperature control applications such as solar power, refrigerators, air conditioning and hydraulic systems, braces, fuel lines and frames.

To measure aluminum round tubing, you first take the outside diameter, then the wall thickness. Metal Supermarkets carries a wide assortment of aluminum round tubing sizes, with any wall thickness and tube length, depending on your specific needs.

Aluminum round tubing is available in several different grades, most commonly being 6061 and 6063. A 6061 round aluminum tube is formable, machinable and weldable, offering a good strength to weight ratio for items such as structural components. This aluminum alloy is heat treatable and commonly anodized to reinforce its corrosion prevention. 6063 aluminum round tubing, also known as the architectural alloy, has fairly low strength and a smooth surface finish. Common applications include railings, trim and structural applications.

Just how strong is round aluminum tubing? The strength of every material is determined by a physical factor called Young’s modulus of elasticity, calculating the force per unit area. At 70°F (21°C), Young’s modulus of elasticity for aluminum is 10 million psi. For reference, steel is about 30 million psi; this implies that steel tubing is about 3 times stronger than aluminum given the same dimensions.