TS EN 515

TS EN 515 defines the temper designation system used for wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys. Its technical purpose is to provide a common shorthand for the product condition created by the sequence of basic manufacturing or heat-treatment operations, so that users can identify not just the alloy family but the state in which the material is supplied. In aluminium technology, a temper designation is a concise but important descriptor of strength level, formability and processing history.

The standard covers temper designations for all forms of wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys, and also for continuously cast aluminium and aluminium-alloy drawing stock and strip intended to be wrought. That distinction matters because aluminium products may share the same alloy composition yet behave differently depending on how they were processed. A temper name gives manufacturers, processors and specifiers a common language for understanding the material condition before further forming, joining or fabrication.

How the temper system is used conceptually

In general technical terms, temper designations reflect the effect of basic operations such as annealing, cold working, solution treatment and ageing. These operations strongly influence mechanical strength, ductility, surface behaviour and formability in aluminium alloys. The designation therefore acts as a product-state identifier that complements the alloy designation rather than replacing it.

• The standard applies to wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys in all forms.
• It also applies to continuously cast aluminium and aluminium-alloy drawing stock and strip intended to be wrought.
• Additional temper designations may be standardized if they are used by more than one user and have defined mechanical property limits.
• If non-mechanical characteristics are significant, test methods and limits, or the specific practices used to produce the temper, should also be defined.

As a technical reference, this standard organizes temper naming rather than giving a complete performance specification for every product. The note in the scope also makes clear that some listed designations may be subject to patent rights and that their inclusion does not grant any licence under those rights.