Aluminum
Real Metals · Common · Modern
A third the weight of steel, soft enough to cut with a hand saw, and covered by an oxide film it grows the instant it meets air, which is why it does not rust away the way iron does. No forge will smelt it at any temperature: the metal holds its oxygen so tightly that only electricity separates the two. Remelting scrap costs a twentieth of that energy, which is why aluminium recycling is worth the trouble.
Identity
- Symbol
- Al
- Atomic number
- 13
- Source
- Natural element
- Used in
- Duralumin
- Also known as
- Aluminium, Al
- Ores of the industrial age
- Bauxite, Boehmite, Diaspore, Gibbsite
- Ore deposits
- Lateritic deposit, Pegmatite deposit
Physical Properties
- Appearance
- Bright silver-white, lightweight, develops a thin protective oxide layer immediately on exposure to air
- Luster
- Metallic
- Density
- 2.7 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 660 °C
- Boiling point
- 2519 °C
- Lighter
- Nth Metal
- Denser
- Duralumin
- Magnetism
- Non-magnetic
- Electrical conductivity
- High
Mechanical Properties
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5
- Tensile strength
- 90 MPa
- Softer
- Tin
- Harder
- Brass
- Workability
- Easy
- Brittleness
- Moderate
- Malleability
- High
- Ductility
- High
Chemical Properties
- Corrosion resistance
- High
- Reactivity
- Moderate
Lore & Narrative
Napoleon III served his most honored guests on aluminum plates while lesser guests used gold and silver. The Washington Monument was capped with aluminum in 1884 as a symbol of prestige and technological achievement.
- Notable uses
- Aircraft, packaging, construction, transportation, electronics
- Forge uses
- Construction, Transportation, Packaging
- Worldbuilding traits
- Lightweight, Modern, Ubiquitous, Recyclable
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Aluminum, USGS, 2025
- U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Bauxite and Alumina, USGS, 2025
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