2024-T3 Aluminum Sheet Blanks

2024-T3 aluminum sheet blanks are the original high-strength aerospace aluminum, with a legacy stretching back to the 1930s when they became the skin material for the DC-3 and virtually every significant commercial and military aircraft that followed. The 2024 alloy is a copper-based system (3.8-4.9% copper, 1.2-1.8% magnesium, 0.3-0.9% manganese) that achieves high strength through natural aging after solution heat treatment and cold working. Fatigue resistance is the property that sets 2024-T3 apart from other high-strength aluminum alloys. Under cyclic loading conditions typical of pressurized aircraft fuselages, 2024-T3 significantly outperforms 7075-T6 in crack initiation resistance and slow crack growth behavior. This damage-tolerant behavior is why 2024-T3 remains the standard fuselage skin material even as newer alloys have entered the market. 2024-T3 is typically sold with an alclad coating — a thin layer of commercially pure aluminum metallurgically bonded to each surface that provides galvanic corrosion protection. Bare 2024-T3 has relatively poor corrosion resistance due to its high copper content. For applications where the alclad layer would be machined away, chemical conversion coating or anodizing is recommended. The alloy is not recommended for fusion welding due to hot-cracking susceptibility and severe property degradation in the heat-affected zone. Riveting is the standard joining method for aircraft structures. Our 2024-T3 sheet blanks are available in both bare and alclad configurations, sheared from certified aerospace mill stock in thicknesses from 0.020 inches through 0.125 inches.