Titanium Alloys:

6Al-4V or Grade 5
6AL-4V ELI or Grade 23
Grade 12
5Al-2.5Sn

Titanium Grade Overview

Titanium Grades and Alloys: Properties and Applications

Following is an overview of the most frequently encountered titanium alloys and pure grades,
their properties, benefits, and industry applications. For specific terminology, please see our
definitions section at the end of this page.

Commercially Pure Titanium Grades

Grade 1

Grade 1 titanium is the first of four commercially pure titanium grades. It is the softest and most
ductile of these grades. It possesses the greatest formability, excellent corrosion resistance and
high impact toughness.
Because of all these qualities, Grade 1 is the material of choice for any application where ease of
formability is required and is commonly available as titanium plate and tubing. These include:

Chemical processing
Chlorate manufacturing
Dimensional stable anodes
Desalination
Architecture
Medical industry
Marine industry
Automotive parts
Airframe structure

Grade 2

Grade 2 titanium is called the workhorse of the commercially pure titanium industry, thanks to
its varied usability and wide availability. It shares many of the same qualities as Grade 1
titanium, but it is slightly stronger. Both are equally corrosion resistant.
This grade possesses good weldability, strength, ductility and formability. This makes Grade 2
titanium bar and sheet are the prime choice for many fields of applications:

Architecture
Power generation
Medical industry
Hydro-carbon processing
Marine industry
Exhaust pipe shrouds
Airframe skin
Desalination
Chemical processing
Chlorate manufacturing

Grade 3

Grade 3 Titanium Parts

This grade is least used of the commercially pure titanium grades, but that does not make it any
less valuable. Grade 3 is stronger than Grades 1 and 2, similar in ductility and only slightly less
formable - but it possesses higher mechanicals than its predecessors.
Grade 3 is used in applications requiring moderate strength and major corrosion resistance.
These include:

Aerospace structures
Chemical processing
Medical industry
Marine industry

Grade 4

Grade 4 is known as the strongest of the four grades of commercially pure titanium. It is also
known for its excellent corrosion resistance, good formability and weldability.
Though it is normally used in the following industrial applications, Grade 4 has recently found a
niche as a medical grade titanium. It is needed in applications in which high strength is required:

Airframe components
Cryogenic vessels
Heat exchangers
CPI equipment
Condensor tubing
Surgical hardware
Pickling baskets

Titanium Alloys
Grade 7

Grade 7 is mechanically and physically equivalent to Grade 2, except with the addition of the
interstitial element palladium, making it an alloy. Grade 7 possesses excellent weldability and
fabricality, and is the most corrosion resistance of all titanium alloys. In fact, it is most resistant
to corrosion in reducing acids.
Grade 7 is used in chemical processes and production equipment components.
Grade 11

Grade 1 Titanium Machining

Grade 11 is very similar to Grade 1, except for the addition of a tiny bit of palladium to enhance
corrosion resistance, making it an alloy. This corrosion resistance is useful to protect against
crevice erosion and reducing acid in chloride environments.
Other useful properties include optimum ductility, cold formability, useful strength, impact
toughness and excellent weldability. This alloy can be used in the same titanium applications as
Grade 1, especially where corrosion is a concern such as:

Chemical processing
Chlorate manufacturing
Desalination
Marine applications

Ti 6Al-4V (Grade 5)

Known as the workhorse of the titanium alloys, Ti 6Al-4V, or Grade 5 titanium, is the most
commonly used of all titanium alloys. It accounts for 50 percent of total titanium usage the world
over.

Its usability lies in its many benefits. Ti 6Al-4V may be heat treated to increase its strength. It
can be used in welded construction at service temperatures of up to 600 F. This alloy offers its
high strength at a light weight, useful formability and high corrosion resistance.
Ti 6AI-4Vs usability makes it the best alloy for use in several industries, like the aerospace,
medical, marine and chemical processing industries. It can be used in the creation of such
technical things as:

Aircraft turbines
Engine components
Aircraft structural components
Aerospace fasteners
High-performance automatic parts
Marine applications
Sports equipments

Ti 6AL-4V ELI (Grade 23)

Grade 23 Surgical Titanium

Ti 6AL-4V ELI, or Grade 23, is the higher purity version of Ti 6Al-4V. It can be made into coils,
strands, wires or flat wires. Its the top choice for any sort of situation where a combination of
high strength, light weight, good corrosion resistance and high toughness are required. It has a
superior damage tolerance to other alloys.
These benefits make Grade 23 the ultimate dental and medical titanium grade. It can be used in
biomedical applications such as implantable components due to its biocompatibility, good
fatigue strength and low modulus. It can also be used in detailed surgical procedures, as:

Orthopedic pins and screws

Orthopedic cables
Ligature clips
Surgical staples
Springs
Orthodontic appliances
In joint replacements

 Cryogenic vessels
Bone fixation devices
Grade 12

Grade 12 Titanium Applications

Grade 12 titanium holds an excellent rating for its high quality weldability. It is a highly
durable alloy that provides a lot of strength at high temperatures. Grade 12 titanium possesses
characteristics similar to 300 series stainless steels.
This alloy can be hot or cold formed using press brake forming, hydropress forming, stretch
forming or drop hammer method. Its ability to be formed in a variety of ways makes it useful
in many applications. This alloys high corrosion resistance also makes it invaluable to those
manufacturing equipment where crevice corrosion is a concern. Grade 12 can be used in the
following industries and applications:

Shell and heat exchangers

Hydrometallurgical applications
Elevated temperature chemical manufacturing
Marine and airfare components

Ti 5Al-2.5Sn

Ti 5Al-2.5Sn is a non-heat treatable alloy that can achieve good weldability with stability. It also
possesses high temperature stability, high strength, good corrosion resistance and good creep
resistance. Creep refers to the phenomenon of plastic strain over long periods of time, which
happens at high temperatures.
Ti 5Al-2.5Sn is mostly used in aircraft and airframe applications, as well as cryogenic
applications.
Definitions

Titanium Bar Stock

Drop hammer method The use of a machine consisting of an anvil or base aligned with a
hammer that is raised and then dropped on molten metal, in order to forge or stamp the metal.
Ductility A metals ability to be easily drawn into wire or hammered thin; easily molded or
shaped.
Fabricality Refers to a metals ability to be used to create machinery, structures, and other
equipment, via being shaped and assembled.
Formability A metals ability to be manipulated into various forms and shapes.
Hydropress Forming - The pressure exerted by a rubber press head forms a sheet of metal to
the configuration of the tool shaping the metal.
Interstitial Elements Impurities found in pure metals, sometimes adding benefits to the
alloy.
Press Brake Forming A machine used to bend sheet metal into whatever form is called for.
Stretch form method A technique in which the heated metal sheet is stretched over the mold
and then cooled into shape.