Aerospace Tube Tolerance

Aluminum Tube Tolerances

A question we get asked a lot at Aircraft Extrusion Company, "what is the bend tolerance for aluminum sheet and why is my material 2024-T42 instead of 2024-T3 or 7075-T62 instead of 7075-T6.". Basically, aircraft sheet bend tolerance that are detailed in Boeing data release specification BAC5300. The difference between 2024-T3 v's 2024-T42, and 7075-T6 v's 7075-T62 is that in the case of both 2024-T3 and 7075-T6 whether it is bare or alclad material, the temper is referred to as a "mill temper" which means that the manufacturer (mill) heat treated material when it was produced to the desired temper. In situations where the sheet material is unable to be formed in the T3 or T6 temper due to the bend radius being too tight, then material will either have to be annealed to the "0" temper or the "W" condition. After forming material in the "0" or "W" condition material is then aged to the desired temper. The mechanical properties of T3 v's T42 and T6 v's T62 are the same, the "2" on the end denotes that material has received additional heat treatment. The bend tolerance is basically the allowable radius you can form aircraft sheet before it starts to crack. In most cases if you are unable to form in the original temper you will have to anneal to the O temper, form your parts then re-heat treat.

Table of Extrusion Tolerances

Diameter
Specified Diameter Inches	Deviation Of Mean From Specified*		Maximum Deviation At Any Point From Specified†
	Inches - Plus and Minus		Inches - Plus and Minus
	Alloys 5083 5086 5454	All Other Alloys	Alloys 5083 5086 5454	All Other Alloys
0.500 - 0.999	.015	.010	.030	.020
1.000 - 1.999	.018	.012	.038	.025
2.000 - 3.999	.023	.015	.045	.030
4.000 - 5.999	.038	.025	.075	.050
6.000 - 7.999	.053	.035	.113	.075
8.000 - 9.999	.068	.045	.150	.100
10.000 - 11.999	.083	.055	.188	.125
12.000 - 13.999	.098	.065	.225	.150
14.000 - 15.999	.113	.075	.263	.175
16.000 - 17.999	.128	.085	.300	.200

*Except for T3510, T4510, T6510 and T8510 tempers.
†Not applicable in the annealed (0) temper or if wall thicknesa ia lean than 2¹/₂% of the OD.

Seamless Extruded Round Tubing

Wall Thickness
Specified Wall Thickness Inches	Deviation Of Mean From Specified								Maximum Deviation At Any Point
	Under 1.250 OD		1.250-2.999 OD		3.000-4.999 OD		5.000 & Over		Maximum Deviation At Any Point
	Alloys 5083 5086 5456	All Other Alloys	Alloys 5083 5086 5456	All Other Alloys	Alloys 5083 5086 5456	All Other Alloys	Alloys 5083 5086 5456	All Other Alloys	All Alloys
Under 0.047	.009	.006	-	-	-	-	-	-	Plus and Minus 10% of mean thickness Max. ±.060 Min. ±.010
0.047 - 0.061	.011	.007	.012	.008	.012	.008	.015	.010
0.062 - 0.077	.012	.008	.012	.008	.014	.009	.018	.012
0.078 - 0.124	.014	.009	.014	.009	.015	.010	.023	.015
0.125 - 0.249	.014	.009	.014	.009	.020	.013	.030	.020
0.250 - 0.374	.017	.011	.017	.011	.024	.016	.038	.025
0.375 - 0.499	-	-	.023	.015	.032	.021	.053	.035
0.500 - 0.749	-	-	.030	.020	.042	.028	.068	.045
0.750 - 0.999	-	-	-	-	.053	.035	.083	.055
1.000 - 1.499	-	-	-	-	.068	.045	.098	.065
1.500 - 2.000	-	-	-	-	-	-	.113	.075

Seamless Extruded Square & Rectangular Tubing

Diameter (Width or Depth)
Specified Width or Depth Inches	Deviation of Width or Depth at Corners From Specified*		Deviation of Width or Depth Not At Corners From Specified†
	Inches - Plus and Minus		Inches - Plus and Minus
	Alloys 5083 5086 5454	All Other Alloys	Alloys 5083 5086 5454	All Other Alloys
0.500 - 0.749	.018	.012	.030	.020
0.750 - 0.999	.021	.014	.030	.020
1.000 - 1.999	.027	.018	.038	.025
2.000 - 3.999	.038	.025	.053	.035
4.000 - 4.999	.053	.035	.068	.045
5.000 - 5.999	.068	.045	.083	.055
6.000 - 6.999	.083	.055	.098	.065
7.000 - 7.999	.098	.065	.108	.075
8.000 - 8.999	.113	.075	.123	.085
9.000 - 9.999	.128	.085	.143	.095
10.000 - 10.999	.143	.095	.158	.105
11.000 - 12.000	.158	.105	.173	.115

*Except for T3510, T4510, T6510, and 18510 tempers.
†Not applicable in the annealed (0) temper or if wall thickness is less than 2 ¹/₂% of the OD.

Seamless Drawn Round Tubing

Diameter
Specified Diameter Inches	Deviation Of Mean From Specified	Maximum Deviation At Any Point From Specified
	Inches - Plus and Minus	Inches - Plus and Minus
	All Alloys	Alloys 1100 5052 3003 5086	Alloys 2014 6061 2024 6063 7075
Less Than 0.500	.003	.003	.006
0.501 - 1.000	.004	.004	.008
1.001 - 2.000	.005	.005	.010
2.000 - 3.000	.006	.006	.012
3.001 - 5.000	.008	.008	.016
5.001 - 6.000	.010	.010	.020
6.001 - 8.000	.015	.015	.030
8.001 - 10.000	.025	.020	.040
10.001 - 12.000	.025	.025	.050

Seamless Drawn Round Tubing

Wall Thickness
Specified Wall Thickness, Inches	Tolerance - Inches, Plus And Minus
	Deviation of Mean From Specified	Max Deviation At Any Point
	Deviation of Mean From Specified	1100 3033 5052 5086	2024 6061 6063 7075
0.010 - 0.035	.002	.002	Plus and minus 10% of specified wall thickness. mm. ± 0.003
0.036 - 0.049	.003	.003
0.050 - 0.083	.004	.004
0.084 - 0.120	.005	.006
0.121 - 0.203	.006	.008
0.204 - 0.300	.008	.012
0.301 - 0.375	.015	.020
0.376 - 0.500	.020	.030

Quality

Our AS9100 certified quality management system allows us to provide the consistency and traceability required in the aviation industry. We pride ourselves on our document control procedures which ensure all required documentation is controlled, distributed, and maintained appropriately. Our planning and scheduling department ensures that projects flow smoothly through the shop and all required materials are available when needed.

In-House Design Team

We are proficient in SolidWorks and Autocad and can translate engineering drawings and designs. We work with designers, engineers and buyers daily. Provide cost analysis and feasibility studies for commercial and aerospace grade aluminum. Providing over the phone quotes on most custom from simple to complex. We can discuss feasibility, die charges and lead times for Extrusions and tubes.