3104 Aluminum

Representative aluminum raw/semi-finished material photo; exact grade not verified

3104 Aluminum (AA 3104) is a wrought Al-Mn-Mg alloy in the 3000 series. Its manganese and magnesium additions provide substantially greater strength than commercially pure aluminum while retaining the ductility required for heavy sheet forming. The alloy is not heat treatable for strength; cold work and stabilizing treatments are used to obtain temper. 3104 is particularly associated with thin-gauge beverage-can body stock, where its combination of strength, drawability, low density, and corrosion resistance supports drawing-and-ironing operations and lightweight packaging.

Chemical Composition (wt.%)
Chemical Composition wt.%
Element	Min	Max
Silicon	—	0.60
Iron	—	0.80
Copper	0.05	0.25
Manganese	0.80	1.40
Magnesium	0.80	1.30
Zinc	—	0.25
Titanium	—	0.10
Gallium	—	0.05
Vanadium	—	0.05
Others, each	—	0.05
Others, total	—	0.15
Aluminum	Remainder

Composition notes

Others, each: Maximum, each unspecified element
Others, total: Maximum total of unspecified elements

Registered Aluminum Association composition limits for wrought 3104, in weight percent. Values shown without a lower limit are maximum limits. Aluminum is the remainder. The registered designation also specifies maximum limits for gallium and vanadium in addition to the general “Others” limits.

Values below are source-reported for the stated alloy condition. Density is the Aluminum Association calculated nominal density for 3104; fatigue strength and liquidus temperature are reported for annealed 3104-O by the cited material-data source.

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Table of 3104 Aluminum Properties

Table of 3104 Aluminum Properties
Physical Properties	Metric
Density (calculated nominal)	2.72 g/cm³2.72 g/cm³
Mechanical Properties	Metric
Fatigue Strength (O temper)	74 MPa
Thermal Properties	Metric
Melting Completion / Liquidus (O temper)	650 °C

Test conditions & data notes

Density (calculated nominal): Active wrought alloy designation 3104
Fatigue Strength (O temper): 3104-O (annealed)
Melting Completion / Liquidus (O temper): 3104-O (annealed)

Material Conditions & Tempers

3104 is a non-heat-treatable wrought alloy. Its useful strength levels are developed principally by cold work, while annealing or stabilizing treatments are selected to recover ductility or control property stability. The temper must be specified separately from the alloy designation, together with product form, thickness, and applicable product standard.

Condition	Description	Notes
O	Annealed condition, used where maximum formability and ductility are required.	Mechanical properties vary with product dimensions and the governing product specification.
H1x	Strain-hardened tempers produced by cold work without a subsequent thermal treatment intended to reduce strength.	The final digit identifies the degree of strain hardening.
H2x	Strain-hardened and partially annealed tempers, used when a strength level lower than the corresponding H1x temper is needed.	The final digit identifies the final degree of strain hardening.
H3x	Strain-hardened and stabilized tempers for non-heat-treatable aluminum alloy products.	The final digit identifies the final degree of strain hardening.
H19	Extra-hard strain-hardened condition commonly associated with thin can-body stock before forming.	Procurement properties must be taken from the applicable can-stock or sheet specification.

Advantages & Limitations

Advantages	Limitations
Higher work-hardened strength than 3003-type Al-Mn sheet while preserving the ductility needed for demanding drawn products. Low nominal density of 2.72 g/cm³ supports lightweight packaging and efficient material use. Manganese and magnesium provide a useful balance of strength and formability for rolled sheet processing. Naturally corrosion resistant in many atmospheric and packaging environments because of aluminum’s adherent oxide film. Well suited to high-volume sheet rolling and drawing-and-ironing routes used for beverage-can bodies.	3104 is not precipitation heat treatable; it cannot obtain the high heat-treated strength levels available from 2xxx, 6xxx, or 7xxx alloys. Mechanical properties depend strongly on temper, sheet gauge, rolling direction, and forming history; alloy-only values are not adequate for design release. Very hard tempers provide strength but have less available ductility than annealed or partially annealed material. Its corrosion resistance does not remove the need to evaluate coatings, contents, crevices, or dissimilar-metal contact for a specific package or service environment. Welding or elevated-temperature exposure can locally reduce cold-work strength; joint and heat-input qualification are important where strength retention matters.

Advantages

Limitations

Higher work-hardened strength than 3003-type Al-Mn sheet while preserving the ductility needed for demanding drawn products.
Low nominal density of 2.72 g/cm³ supports lightweight packaging and efficient material use.
Manganese and magnesium provide a useful balance of strength and formability for rolled sheet processing.
Naturally corrosion resistant in many atmospheric and packaging environments because of aluminum’s adherent oxide film.
Well suited to high-volume sheet rolling and drawing-and-ironing routes used for beverage-can bodies.

3104 is not precipitation heat treatable; it cannot obtain the high heat-treated strength levels available from 2xxx, 6xxx, or 7xxx alloys.
Mechanical properties depend strongly on temper, sheet gauge, rolling direction, and forming history; alloy-only values are not adequate for design release.
Very hard tempers provide strength but have less available ductility than annealed or partially annealed material.
Its corrosion resistance does not remove the need to evaluate coatings, contents, crevices, or dissimilar-metal contact for a specific package or service environment.
Welding or elevated-temperature exposure can locally reduce cold-work strength; joint and heat-input qualification are important where strength retention matters.

Processing & Fabrication

Process	Description
Cold rolling and temper control	3104 is supplied and processed as wrought sheet. Strength is established primarily through cold reduction; annealing or stabilization is used when the selected temper requires more formability or controlled property stability.
Drawing and ironing	The alloy’s principal packaging use is thin sheet drawn into a cup and then ironed into a tall, thin-wall can body. Lubrication, die condition, gauge control, and the incoming temper are central to avoiding splits and earing.
Stamping and drawing	For drawn containers and similar sheet parts, orient blanks and validate forming limits against the specified coil temper and thickness rather than relying on nominal alloy chemistry alone.
Joining	Conventional aluminum joining methods can be used when appropriate for the product, but welding heat can soften work-hardened material adjacent to the joint. Select filler, process, and post-joining requirements for the actual assembly.
Surface preparation and coating	For packaging service, clean and pretreat formed material before applying specified internal or external coatings. Coating systems should be qualified for the contained product and forming sequence.

Applications

3104 is most valuable where thin rolled aluminum must withstand intensive forming while retaining enough work-hardened strength for a lightweight finished part. Its flagship application is beverage-can body stock; other uses generally involve drawn or formed sheet where this strength-formability balance is beneficial.

Drawn-and-ironed beverage-can bodies: 3104 is widely used for can-body stock because it can be formed from thin sheet into a high-wall body while providing useful final strength at very low weight.
Drawn aluminum packaging and containers: Its cold-work response and formability suit rigid drawn container components where corrosion resistance and material efficiency are important.
Formed sheet components: The alloy is suitable for selected stamped or drawn sheet parts that benefit from the strength advantage of an Al-Mn-Mg alloy over lower-strength general-purpose aluminum sheet.
Coated packaging sheet: Aluminum’s corrosion-resistant substrate and 3104’s forming capability make it appropriate for coated sheet applications when the coating is qualified for the service medium.

Standards & Designations

Designation	Value	Description
Aluminum Association	AA 3104	Active registered wrought aluminum alloy designation; chemical composition limits are published in the Aluminum Association Teal Sheets.
UNS	A93104	Unified Numbering System designation associated with aluminum alloy 3104.
Aluminum Association temper system	O, H1x, H2x, H3x, H19	Temper is specified separately from the 3104 alloy designation and must be selected with product form and dimensions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 3104 aluminum most commonly used for?

3104 is best known as beverage-can body stock. In a drawing-and-ironing line, its sheet can be formed into a thin-wall can body while retaining useful work-hardened strength.

Is 3104 aluminum heat treatable?

No. 3104 is a non-heat-treatable Al-Mn-Mg wrought alloy. Its strength is developed mainly by cold work, with annealing or stabilization used to obtain the desired temper and formability.

How does 3104 differ from 5182 in aluminum cans?

3104 is commonly selected for the drawn-and-ironed can body because of its forming balance. 5182, a higher-magnesium 5xxx-series alloy, is commonly used for can ends where a higher-strength sheet is advantageous. They are distinct alloys and should not be substituted without a product-specific qualification.

References & Data Notes

(n.d.). Aluminum Association — International Alloy Designations and Chemical Composition Limits for Wrought Aluminum and Wrought Aluminum Alloys (Teal Sheets, December 2025). https://www.aluminum.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/Teal%20Sheets%20December%202025.pdf
(n.d.). ASM Digital Library — 3004, Alclad 3004, and 3104: Al-Mn-Mg Alloy. https://dl.asminternational.org/handbooks/edited-volume/91/chapter/2088123/3004-Alclad-3004-and-3104Al-Mn-Mg-Alloy
(n.d.). MakeItFrom — 3104-O Aluminum. https://www.makeitfrom.com/material-properties/3104-O-Aluminum

Composition and calculated nominal density are taken from the Aluminum Association registered wrought-alloy publication. The listed 3104-O fatigue strength and liquidus temperature are limited to values visible in the supplied 3104-O source excerpt. Strength values for other tempers are intentionally not generalized because they depend on product form, dimensions, and the applicable specification.