Balance high strength and workability. Initially designed for aircraft frames, 2024 aluminum is turned into parts that need to be especially strong, such as couplings for servomotor shafts. It’s one of the most widely used high-strength alloys, made into fasteners, gears, and everything in between. It’s also easier to form and weld than 7075 aluminum, among the strongest aluminum alloys out there.

At 99% pure, 1100 is among the most conductive, corrosion-resistant, and formable aluminum alloys. Since it’s so soft, it’s often shaped into terminal blocks, raceways, and other parts that don’t need to be hard or strong. For high-stress electrical parts such as bus bars, look to 6101 aluminum instead.