Aluminum coil 0.7mm A1050 Aa 1100 H16 H12
Aluminum coil 0.7 mm A1050 Aa 1100 H16 H12 might look like a string of technical codes, but hidden inside this line is an entire story about how simple, almost “pure” aluminum quietly supports modern manufacturing. If you work with building facades, transformer windings, nameplates, roofing, or interior decoration panels, these symbols probably decide how easily your machines run, how long your products last, and how stable your supply chain is.
Instead of treating these grades and tempers as just catalog labels, it helps to see them as a designer’s toolbox: you are not buying “metal,” you are choosing a specific balance of softness and strength, reflectivity and formability, cost and corrosion resistance.
the code behind the coil
The “0.7 mm” is the first boundary condition. At this thickness, aluminum coil behaves like a skin: thin enough for tight bending and light structures, but thick enough to feel solid in architectural cladding, lamp reflectors, or duct covers. It is a sweet spot where coil lines can still handle the material easily while downstream users can choose between roll forming, stamping, or simple manual bending.
The “A1050” and “Aa 1100” refer to two very close cousins in the 1xxx series of wrought aluminum alloys. This family is defined not by fancy strengthening elements, but by purity.
A1050 usually denotes an alloy roughly equivalent to 1050, with aluminum content around 99.5%. It is almost pure aluminum, with only trace amounts of other elements, mainly for process control rather than mechanical enhancement.
Aa 1100 (or simply 1100) contains at least 99.0% aluminum, with controlled additions of copper and other trace elements. This small change gives slightly higher strength than 1050 while preserving nearly all the hallmark advantages of “pure” aluminum: ultra-high corrosion resistance, excellent reflectivity, and outstanding formability.
To understand their behavior, it is useful to look at typical chemical compositions.
Typical chemical composition (mass %):
A1050 (1050):
- Al: ≥ 99.50
- Si: ≤ 0.25
- Fe: ≤ 0.40
- Cu: ≤ 0.05
- Mn: ≤ 0.05
- Mg: ≤ 0.05
- Zn: ≤ 0.07
- Ti: ≤ 0.05
- Other each: ≤ 0.03
- Other total: ≤ 0.10
Aa 1100 (1100):
- Al: ≥ 99.00
- Si + Fe: ≤ 0.95
- Cu: 0.05–0.20
- Mn: ≤ 0.05
- Mg: ≤ 0.05
- Zn: ≤ 0.10
- Ti: ≤ 0.05
- Other each: ≤ 0.05
- Other total: ≤ 0.15
That tiny copper range in 1100, practically invisible on paper, is what nudges its strength up a notch compared to 1050 while leaving its corrosion resistance still excellent for typical atmospheric and many industrial environments.
What H12 and H16 actually feel like in the workshop
Temper codes H12 and H16 are not theoretical labels. They decide how loudly your press complains, how your bending radius behaves, and whether edges crack or stay smooth.
Both are strain-hardened tempers, defined by cold working rather than heat treatment.
H12 is a lightly strain-hardened temper. The metal has been cold rolled to reach a “quarter hard” condition. It is notably stronger than fully soft (O temper), but it still bends willingly. For fabricators, H12 in 0.7 mm thickness feels cooperative: it can be folded into tight angles, roll formed into small profiles, or stamped with relatively low tool wear. It is a favorite for applications that require easy processing and modest strength, such as:
- Decorative panels and interior cladding
- Cold-formed gutter components or small flashings
- Lamp reflectors and light shielding parts
- Insulation jacketing and flexible ducts
H16 is a more aggressively strain-hardened temper, roughly “half hard.” Strength is higher, yield strength around the range of 120–140 MPa for 1100 and slightly lower for 1050, depending on the standard and exact process. In the workshop, H16 in 0.7 mm feels crisper: it resists bending more, springs back more after forming, and demands larger inside bend radii.
H16 is chosen when the coil must resist denting, maintain stiffness over a span, or carry slightly higher mechanical load without substantial weight gain. Typical uses include:
- Exterior wall cladding where flatness and dent resistance matter
- Nameplates, tags, and signs that must stay rigid
- Basic structural skins of lightweight enclosures or housings
- Shallow-drawn components where high elongation is not critical
Between H12 and H16, you effectively choose between forming comfort and stiffness. At 0.7 mm, this decision is felt directly on the production line. A shop tuned for high throughput bends might prefer H12 to minimize rework and cracking; a facade contractor might favor H16, trusting that the panels will look cleaner and more robust after installation.
Mechanical property window
Typical mechanical properties for 0.7 mm coil, according to common standards like EN 485 or ASTM B209 ranges, often look like this (approximate, not a substitute for mill test certificates):
A1050-H12:
- Tensile strength: about 70–95 MPa
- Yield strength (Rp0.2): about 35–70 MPa
- Elongation (A50): around 15–30%
A1050-H16:
- Tensile strength: about 95–120 MPa
- Yield strength: about 70–95 MPa
- Elongation: around 8–20%
Aa 1100-H12:
- Tensile strength: about 90–120 MPa
- Yield strength: about 50–90 MPa
- Elongation: around 12–25%
Aa 1100-H16:
- Tensile strength: about 110–145 MPa
- Yield strength: about 90–120 MPa
- Elongation: around 8–18%
The picture is simple: 1050 is slightly softer; 1100 is slightly stronger. H12 is more forgiving; H16 is more rigid. At 0.7 mm, all of them are still very workable compared with high-strength alloys.
What 0.7 mm purity brings that high-strength alloys cannot
It is tempting to think “stronger is always better,” but A1050 and Aa 1100 exist precisely because pure-ish aluminum does some jobs better than complex alloys.
They resist atmospheric and many industrial corrosive conditions naturally, without requiring coatings, sacrificial layers, or complicated surface protection systems. In coastal or urban environments, 1xxx alloys develop a stable oxide film that slows further attack. For roofing, jacketing, or interior panels, this quiet durability is often more valuable than extreme strength.
They reflect light and heat with efficiency. For lighting reflectors, HVAC insulation cladding, or solar thermal components, the high reflectivity of 1050 and 1100 is a functional parameter, not just a visual one. Silk-embossed, mill-finish, or lightly brushed surfaces can be tuned to balance visual appearance and optical properties.
They conduct electricity and heat exceptionally well. That is why transformer windings, bus bars, and heat spreaders often favor 1050 or 1100, especially where mechanical demands are moderate but conductivity is critical. At 0.7 mm, strips cut from coil can be wound, stacked, or formed to create compact, efficient thermal and electrical paths.
Standards, tolerances, and what to ask your supplier
Behind each coil is a framework of standards that keep production predictable. For flat rolled products, EN 485, EN 573, ASTM B209, or equivalent national standards define composition, mechanical properties, and tolerances. When you order a 0.7 mm A1050 or Aa 1100 coil in H12 or H16, the real negotiation is about the details that affect your line:
Thickness tolerance: For 0.7 mm, a common tolerance band might be ±0.03 mm depending on width and standard. Too much variation and your press brake angles drift or your roll-forming profile changes.
Width tolerance: Typically a few millimeters, often tighter for critical slitting applications. Good edge conditions (no burr or edge cracks) matter especially when coils are destined for high-speed stamping or winding.
Flatness and crown: At this thickness, residual stresses from rolling can show up as wave, camber, or crossbow. A reliable mill controls this via process adjustment and tension leveling, allowing laser cutting and high-quality coating afterward.
Surface quality: For visible applications, specifications about scratches, roll marks, oil level, and stain resistance can be as important as mechanical properties. Mill finish, embossed, or pre-coated surfaces should be matched to your downstream process, especially if you plan to anodize or paint.
Standards give the minimums, but your own process defines the optimal window. The more transparent you are about bending radii, radiused edges, and coating requirements, the better your supplier can choose the right temper range during cold rolling and tension leveling.
Choosing between A1050 and Aa 1100, H12 and H16
From a distinctive, practical viewpoint, selecting “aluminum coil 0.7 mm A1050 Aa 1100 H16 H12” is less about finding one perfect grade and more about tuning a combination.
If your priority is:
- Maximum formability, deep bends, and complex shaping → lean toward A1050-H12.
- Balanced formability with a bit more strength and stiffness → Aa 1100-H12 often feels like the best compromise.
- Higher stiffness for panels, nameplates, or flat cladding that must resist denting → Aa 1100-H16 is usually the go-to.
- Extremely soft feel not needed, but cost and corrosion resistance matter more than strength → A1050-H16 can fill that slot.
In many factories, tooling, operator habits, and bending practices ultimately decide what works. That is why the same “0.7 mm, 1100-H16” can be loved by a panel line but disliked by a small workshop with older brakes and tight radii. Matching temper to reality, rather than theory, is the real engineering.
Looking at the coil as a system component
The most useful way to think about these coils is to see them not as raw metal, but as a system component that interacts with coatings, adhesives, building substrates, fasteners, and fabrication equipment.
A 0.7 mm Aa 1100-H16 coil, pre-painted on both sides, becomes a building envelope material. Its stiffness keeps it flat; its corrosion resistance fights weather; its surface quality defines the architecture’s visual language.
A 0.7 mm A1050-H12 coil, clean and mill finished, becomes feedstock for reflector stamping. Its purity controls reflectance; its softness protects tooling; its consistent thickness keeps optical performance stable from batch to batch.
In both cases, the alloy and temper are silent, almost invisible, yet they shape how the product is formed, how it performs, and how long it lasts. Working from this perspective transforms a line of codes—A1050, Aa 1100, H16, H12—into deliberate design choices rather than just catalog defaults.
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