3104-H19 Aluminum
A 3000-series Al-Mn-Mg alloy, the beverage can body
Typical values for the temper in the title
3104 is the alloy beverage can bodies are made of. It is close to 3004, with a small copper addition and limits tuned to the manufacturing process. In H19 its tensile strength is 220–260 MPa.
Can bodies are made by drawing and wall ironing, which thins the wall to a fraction of a millimeter. The alloy must survive this without tearing, and hold the pressure of the drink.
Mechanical and physical properties
| Property | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength Rm | 220–260 MPa | |
| Yield strength Rp0.2 | 200–235 MPa | |
| Elongation A | 3% | |
| Hardness | 55 HB | |
| Modulus of elasticity E | 70 GPa | |
| Density ρ | 2.72 g/cm³ | |
| Machinability | 75% | relative rating in the site database |
Chemical composition (wt %)
| Element | Range | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mn manganese | 0.8–1.4 | strengthening |
| Mg magnesium | 0.8–1.3 | adds strength |
| Cu copper | 0.05–0.25 | adds a little strength |
| Fe iron | max 0.8 | |
| Si silicon | max 0.6 | |
| Al aluminum | balance |
Common tempers
As in the whole 3000 series, the alloy is not heat treatable, and the temper describes the degree of strain hardening.
| Temper | Properties | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| H19 | Rm 220–260 MPa | fully hard: can body stock |
| H2x / H4x | strain hardened and partially annealed or coated | other uses |
Applications
- Beverage can bodies
- Deep-drawn containers
- Metal packaging
- Thin hard sheet
- Closed-loop can recycling
Fabrication
Forming
Forms well in the soft tempers, less well in the hard ones.
Welding
Welds well; in the weld zone the material returns to the annealed condition.
Recycling
3104 can bodies and 5182 lids are recycled together, and the mix goes back into can sheet. It is one of the most efficient recycling loops in industry.
Compared with similar materials
| Material | Rm / Rp0.2 | Welding | When it is the better choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3004-H19 | 215 / 195 MPa | Excellent | the original can alloy · material page |
| 5182-H19 | 421 / 395 MPa | Excellent | the can lid · material page |
| 3003-H14 | 150–180 / 115–145 MPa | Excellent | for soft general sheet · material page |
Common mistakes
Choosing 3104 for general sheet
It is tuned for cans. For general sheet, 3003 or 3004 are more available.
Trying to harden it by heat treatment
3104 is not heat treatable.
Bending H19 sharply
The hard temper cracks when bent.
Equivalents, standards and supply
| EN | EN AW-3104 (AlMn1Mg1Cu) |
|---|---|
| ASTM | 3104 |
| Standards | ASTM B209 |
| Forms | can body stock |
| Producers | Novelis · Rio Tinto · Constellium |
Learn more
Values are typical and for comparison only. For design, rely on the standard and on the mill certificate. Sources: Aluminum Association (composition), ASM and MatWeb data sheets, and the METAL HUB materials database.
Updated: October 31, 2026