At present, the aluminum alloy used in aircraft structure in the world is mainly high-strength 2 series (2024, 2017, 2A12, etc.) and ultra-high-strength 7 Series (7075, 7475, 7050, 7A04, etc.), in addition, there are some 5 Series (5A06, 5052, 5086, etc.) and 6 Series (6061, 6082, etc.) and a small number of other series of aluminum materials.

2024 T3 Aluminum Sheet:
This is the most common of the high-strength aluminum alloys. It is of high-grade aircraft quality. The 2024-T3 aluminum sheet is thought of as the aircraft alloy because of its strength and it also has excellent fatigue resistance. Welding is generally not recommended. Typical uses for 2024-T3 Alclad aluminum sheet are fuselage and wing skins, cowls, aircraft structures, and also for repair and restoration because of its shiny finish (2024-T3 Alclad).

3003 H14 Aluminum Sheet:
Most widely used of aluminum alloys, pure aluminum with manganese added for strength, approx 20% stronger than the 100 series. 3003-H14 aluminum sheet has great workability and may be deep drawn, spun, welded, or brazed. 3003 aluminum sheet is NON-heat treatable. This aluminum sheet is widely used for cowls and baffle plating.

5052 H32 Aluminum Sheet:
This one has the highest strength in the NON-heatable alloy series. It is not structural. 5052 aluminum sheet has higher fatigue strength than most alloys. 5052 aluminum sheet has excellent corrosion resistance, particularly in marine applications and has excellent workability. 5052 aluminum sheet is commonly used to built fuel tanks.

5083 aluminum sheet:
5083 aluminum sheet belongs to Al-Mg-Si aluminium alloys. Its main contents are Magnesium and Silicon except for Aluminium. Over 4.0% of Magnesium enables 5083 aluminum sheets to have excellent resistance to correction and are easily welded. By adding copper, 55083 aluminum sheet has 28% Electrical conductivity. 5083 aluminum sheet also has good forming characteristics for either hot or cold working. But hardening is accomplished by means of cold working only. Besides, the 5083 aluminum sheet does have good strength but is non-heat-treatable.

6061 T6 Aluminum Sheet:
This alloy has very good corrosion resistance and finishing ability, welding goes without any problems too. The strength level of the 6061-T6 aluminum sheet is about that of mild steel. The 6061-T6 aluminum sheet can be fabricated by most of the commonly used techniques. Typical uses are aircraft landing mats, truck bodies and frames, structural components, and more.

7075 Aluminum Sheet:
Aircraft manufacturers use high-strength alloys (principally alloy 7075) to strengthen aluminum aircraft structures. Aluminum alloy 7075 has Copper (1.6 %), Magnesium (2.5 %) and zinc (5.6 %) added for ultimate strength, but the copper content makes it very difficult to weld. On the other hand, it anodizes really beautifully. 7075 has the best machinability and it will result in a very nice finish.