As a typical aluminum-magnesium alloy material, the 5754-O aluminum plate demonstrates significant comprehensive advantages in automotive body manufacturing, particularly excelling in lightweight performance, corrosion resistance, and formability.
The 5754-O aluminum plate is one of the “star materials” for automotive lightweighting, especially in the field of body panels. With its unparalleled formability, good strength-to-weight ratio, and excellent corrosion resistance, it has become an ideal choice for manufacturing complex-shaped components such as car doors and engine hoods. As the range requirements of new energy vehicles continue to increase, lightweight aluminum alloys like 5754 will be applied more widely in automotive body structures.
The “O” temper of the 5754-O aluminum plate indicates an annealed state, which enhances its plasticity and makes it suitable for forming complex shapes such as car doors, engine hoods, and chassis components. This helps reduce vehicle weight, improve fuel efficiency, and at the same time does not compromise safety.
Specification of 5754 Automotive Aluminum Sheet
| Alloy | Temper | Thickness(mm) | Width(mm) | Length(mm) |
| 5754 | O | 1.0-8.0 | 1200-2650 | - |
Why Is 5754-O Aluminum Plate Suitable for Automotive Body Applications?
Automotive bodies—especially exterior panels—have several core material requirements, and the 5754 aluminum plate in the O temper perfectly meets these needs:
Excellent Formability
Components such as car doors, engine hoods, and fenders have complex shapes and require materials that can be stamped into various curved surfaces. The 5754 aluminum plate in the O temper has extremely high elongation, allowing it to withstand deep drawing on large stamping machines to form complex shapes without cracking or necking.
A Good Balance of Strength and Lightweight Performance
Although the O temper is soft, the 5754 alloy itself has work-hardening characteristics. This means that during the stamping and forming process, the material undergoes deformation, and its strength increases accordingly. The final strength of the finished part is much higher than that of the sheet before stamping.
Compared with steel, aluminum alloys have a density of only about one-third that of steel. Using 5754 aluminum plates can significantly reduce vehicle body weight, thereby lowering fuel or energy consumption and improving range and handling performance.
Outstanding Corrosion Resistance
Aluminum naturally forms a dense oxide film that prevents further internal corrosion. The magnesium content in the 5754 alloy further enhances its corrosion resistance, providing excellent resistance to road salt, rain, and humid environments. This ensures the durability and appearance of the vehicle body.
Excellent Weldability
The 5754 alloy can be welded using common methods such as MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding and TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding, producing high-quality and strong weld joints. This is crucial for assembling individual stamped parts into the vehicle’s white body.
Good Surface Treatment Performance
The surface of the 5754 aluminum plate is smooth and flat, making it very suitable for subsequent treatments such as painting and electrophoretic coating, allowing for a high-quality appearance of the vehicle body.
5754 Automotive Aluminum Sheet Chemical Composition
| Alloy | Si | Fe | Cu | Mn | Mg | Cr | Zn | Ti | Standard(wt%) |
| 5754 | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.10 | 0.50 | 2.6-3.6 | 0.30 | 0.20 | 0.15 | GB/EN/ASTM |
5754 Automotive Aluminum Sheet Mechanical Properties
| Alloy | Temper | Thickness(mm) |
Yield Strength Rp0.2(Mpa) |
Tensile Strength Rm(Mpa) |
Elongation A50(%) |
| 5754 | O | ≥1.5-3.0 | 190-240 | ≥80 | ≥16 |
| ≥3.0-6.0 | 190-240 | ≥80 | ≥18 |
Specific Applications of 5754 Aluminum Sheet in Automotive Bodies
The 5754-O aluminum sheet is mainly used for vehicle body panels (non-structural parts), including:
- Inner and outer door panels
- Engine hood
- Trunk lid
- Fenders
- Roof panels
- Side panels of certain vehicle models
- Chassis and floor components
- Structural parts: reinforcements, brackets, etc., requiring medium strength and weldability.
- Sealing components: enabling high-precision assembly due to good processing properties.
Body Panels and Structural Components
- Outer panels: doors, hoods, trunk lids, etc., utilizing lightweight and formability advantages while meeting aesthetic requirements through surface treatment.
- Inner panels: inner door panels, roof linings, etc., which need to withstand moderate loads and resist denting; the strength and toughness of 5754-O balance cost and performance.
- Structural components: battery trays, chassis frames, etc. For example, a certain electric SUV uses 5754-H321 alloy for its battery tray, achieving a 25% weight reduction while meeting IP67 waterproof standards.
Special Components and Environmental Adaptability
- Fuel system: 5754-O’s corrosion resistance to gasoline and diesel makes it a mainstream material for fuel tanks, reducing weight by 40%–50% compared with traditional steel.
- Vehicles operating in marine environments: such as port service vehicles or cars used in coastal regions; its salt-spray resistance significantly extends component life.
It should be noted that for major structural elements of the car body—such as crash beams and other parts requiring extremely high strength—stronger aluminum alloys (e.g., 6000 or 7000 series) or high-strength steel are typically used. The 5754-O alloy is mainly applied to “skin” components requiring excellent formability.
Characteristics of 5754 Automotive Aluminum Sheet
- Lightweight: reduces overall vehicle weight, improving fuel economy and handling.
- Formability: the annealed “O” temper makes it easy to form into complex shapes, such as doors, roofs, and engine hoods.
- Corrosion resistance: excellent resistance to rust, critical for exposed body panels.
- Weldability: good weldability enables strong, reliable joints during manufacturing.
- Safety: good energy absorption during collisions; can crumple to absorb impact forces and protect occupants.
- Processing performance: O-temper (annealed) offers the best plasticity, suitable for complex deep-drawing processes required for body panels and door inner linings.
Advantages of 5754 Automotive Aluminum Sheet
- Significant weight reduction: replacing low-carbon steel sheets can reduce weight by 40%–50%.
- Excellent formability: ideal for manufacturing complex curved body panels.
- Strong corrosion resistance: extends vehicle body lifespan and reduces maintenance.
- Environmentally friendly and recyclable: aluminum alloys are easy to recycle, aligning with automotive sustainability trends.
The 5754 aluminum sheet balances medium strength and excellent formability, ensuring basic body rigidity while enabling deep drawing and stretching to form complex surfaces such as inner door panels and engine hoods. Compared with 6061-T6, although the strength is slightly lower, the elongation of 5754-O makes it more suitable for body panels requiring large deformation.
Excellent corrosion resistance: the dense natural oxide film (Al₂O₃) formed on aluminum-magnesium alloy surfaces gives 5754-O superior anti-corrosion performance, especially in marine or chloride-rich environments—far exceeding ordinary steel and some aluminum alloys (such as 6000 series). This makes it an ideal material for vehicles in coastal regions or components exposed long-term to salt spray, such as chassis guards and fuel tanks.
Good weldability and surface treatment adaptability: 5754-O can be reliably joined using MIG or laser welding, with weld strength close to that of the base metal and minimal loss of corrosion resistance after welding.
What Thickness of Aluminum for Car Body?
The thickness of aluminum used for a car body depends on the part of the car, the alloy, and the desired balance between weight, strength, and safety.
Typical Aluminum Thickness Ranges
| Car Body Part | Typical Aluminum Thickness | Notes |
| Outer body panels (doors, fenders, hood, trunk) | 0.7 – 1.5 mm | Lightweight panels, often alloys like 5182, 5754, 6016. |
| Roof panels | 0.8 – 1.2 mm | Needs some stiffness, but weight reduction is critical. |
| Structural parts (A/B/C pillars, floor pan) | 1.5 – 3.0 mm | Stronger alloys or multi-layer construction to handle loads and crash energy. |
| Chassis components (subframes, cross-members) | 3.0 – 5.0 mm | High-strength aluminum or aluminum-magnesium alloys. |
| Hoods/Trunks (reinforced) | 1.2 – 2.0 mm | Sometimes uses multi-gauge sheets for impact zones. |
Common Aluminum Alloys for Car Bodies
5xxx series (Al-Mg): 5182, 5754, 5454 — excellent corrosion resistance, moderate strength.
6xxx series (Al-Mg-Si): 6016, 6111 — higher strength, suitable for structural panels.
Alclad (aluminum with a thin corrosion-resistant layer): used for enhanced durability.
Exterior panels are often 0.8–1.2 mm, structural parts 1.5–3 mm, and chassis members 3–5 mm. Modern EVs, such as those from Tesla, use aluminum extensively to reduce weight, sometimes applying variable thickness for optimized strength.
Comparison of 5754 Automotive Aluminum Sheet with Other Materials
Compared with 6061 aluminum alloy, 5754-O has higher tensile strength and better corrosion resistance, though its strength is lower than that of 7000-series alloys. It is suitable for body parts requiring moderate strength.
Compared with 6061 aluminum alloy:
5754-O offers higher tensile strength and superior corrosion resistance.
Compared with 7000-series aluminum alloys:
5754-O has slightly lower strength but better workability and corrosion resistance.
Therefore, 5754-O is suitable for body components where moderate strength and high corrosion resistance are required.