3 Common Uses for Aluminum

When most people think of aluminum, they think about aluminum foil, which can be torn into thin aluminum strips and used for several purposes around the house. It’s versatile due to it being a soft metal, which means it can be folded and reshaped easily. It can also hold heat and let heat transfer through it without heating up itself. This versatility has its benefits around the home, but it’s not limited to the home.

Broadly speaking, aluminum has a number of uses, and depending on what you need the aluminum for, the alloy you choose will change. Here are just a few common uses for aluminum that you may come across.

Types of Aluminum

There are different types of aluminum. 3003 aluminum is the more common of the two different types of aluminum. Thin aluminum strips of aluminum 3003 can easily be reshaped while retaining their strength. This tends to have tons of uses throughout several industries. 6061 aluminum is stronger than 3003 aluminum because, as an alloy, it adds silicon as well as magnesium. Its uses, due to its strength, tend to be industrial.

Aluminum Is a Common Household Item

Many people use aluminum every single day in their own home without much thought to their routine. This goes back to the pliability of aluminum, which makes it very versatile. It’s used in cooking all the time. However, it’s also commonly used in furniture and cans for food. These common uses are, at their most basic, how most people interact with aluminum on a day-to-day basis.

Aluminum Is Often Used in Wiring

Thin aluminum strips are sometimes referred to as aluminum tape, and it is commonly used in electrical wiring. This goes back to the versatility of aluminum. It’s resistant to corrosion, easily reshaped, handles heat well, and conducts electricity. This makes aluminum a great product to use in wiring, be it electrical or cable.

Aluminum Is Commonly Used in Construction

Owing to the strength of 6061 aluminum, it’s commonly used in construction. This is because this alloy is better able to hold heavyweights and is a bit more durable than 3003 aluminum. It’s also corrosion-resistant and puts less stress on a building than other metals do at its junction points, making the entire structure stronger. This strength makes aluminum 6061 popular in buildings as well as in chemical equipment, as it lasts longer than other metals.

Whether it is rolled, in a tube, in a sheet, or in plate form, aluminum along with steel and stainless steel are among the most common metals bought by consumers. It is largely due to versatility, which ranges from industrial uses to cooking at home. This versatility has made thin aluminum strips very popular for things like transformers and cable alike.