Aluminium offers a rare combination of valuable properties. It is one of the lightest metals in the world: it’s almost three times lighter than iron but it’s also very strong, extremely flexible, and corrosion-resistant because its surface is always covered in an extremely thin and yet very strong layer of oxide film. It doesn’t magnetize, it’s a great electricity conductor and forms alloys with practically all other metals.
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Aluminium is the world’s most abundant metal and is the third most common element comprising 8% of the earth’s crust. The versatility of aluminium makes it the most widely used metal after steel.
Pure aluminium is soft, ductile, corrosion resistant and has a high electrical conductivity. It is widely used for foil and conductor cables, but alloying with other elements is necessary to provide the higher strengths needed for other applications. Aluminium is one of the lightest engineering metals, having a strength to weight ratio superior to steel.By utilising various combinations of its advantageous properties such as strength, lightness, corrosion resistance, recyclability and formability, aluminium is being employed in an ever-increasing number of applications. This array of products ranges from structural materials through to thin packaging foils.
