ASTM B85/B85M-14 - 1.10.2014
 
1. Scope

1.1 This specification covers aluminum-alloy die castings of all compositions. Thirteen of the most commonly die cast alloy compositions are specified, designated as shown in Table 1.

(A) Analysis shall ordinarily be made only for the elements mentioned in this table. If, however, the presence of other elements is suspected, or indicated in the course of routine analysis, further analysis shall be made to determine that the total of these other elements are not present in excess of specified limits.
(B) For purposes of acceptance and rejection, the observed value or calculated value obtained from analysis should be rounded off to the nearest unit in the last right-hand place of figures, used in expressing the specified limit, in accordance with the rounding procedure prescribed in Section 3 of Practice E29.
(C) Limits are in percent maximum unless shown otherwise.
(D) Alloys 360.0, 380.0, 413.0, C443.0 and 518.0 are suitable for the production of die casting by either the hot-chamber or the cold-chamber process. Die castings of alloys A360.0, A380.0, 383.0, 384.0 and A413.0 may be made only in cold-chamber machines. ASTM designations were established in accordance with Practice B275. ANSI designations were established in accordance with ANSI H35.1/H35.1 (M). UNS designations were established in accordance with Practice E527.
(E) ”Others” includes listed elements for which no specific limit is shown as well as unlisted metallic elements. The producer may analyze samples for trace elements not specified in the registration or specification. However, such analysis is not required and may not cover all metallic “other” elements. Should any analysis by the producer or the purchaser establish that the aggregate of several “others” elements exceeds the limit of the “Total” the material shall be considered non-conforming.
(F) The sum of those “others” metallic elements 0.010 percent or more, each expressed to the second decimal before determining the sum.
(G) With respect to mechanical properties, alloys A380.0, 383.0 and 384.0 are substantially interchangeable.

1.2 This specification is not intended for aluminum-alloy die castings used in aerospace applications.

1.3 Alloy and temper designations are in accordance with ANSI H35.1/H35.1(M). The equivalent unified numbering system alloy designations are in accordance with Practice E527.

1.4 Unless the order specifies the “M” specification designation, the material shall be furnished to the inch-pound units.

1.5 For acceptance criteria for inclusion of new aluminum and aluminum alloys and their properties in this specification, see Annex A1 and Annex A2.

1.6 Units—The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in non-conformance with the standard.

1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.

 
2. Referenced Documents

B179-18

Standard Specification for Aluminum Alloys in Ingot and Molten Forms for Castings from All Casting Processes

E607-02

Standard Test Method for Atomic Emission Spectrometric Analysis Aluminum Alloys by the Point to Plane Technique Nitrogen Atmosphere

B557-15(2023)

Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing Wrought and Cast Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products

B557M-15(2023)

Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing Wrought and Cast Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products (Metric)

B660-23

Standard Practices for Packaging/Packing of Aluminum and Magnesium Products

B881-25a

Standard Terminology Relating to Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products (Includes all amendments and changes 1/8/2026).

B985-24

Standard Practice for Sampling Aluminum Ingots, Billets, Castings and Finished or Semi-Finished Wrought Aluminum Products for Compositional Analysis

D3951-18(2023)

Standard Practice for Commercial Packaging

E29-22

Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications

E8/E8M-25

Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials

E23-25

Standard Test Methods for Notched Bar Impact Testing of Metallic Materials

E716-16(2021)e2

Standard Practices for Sampling and Sample Preparation of Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys for Determination of Chemical Composition by Spark Atomic Emission Spectrometry (Includes all amendments and changes 9/7/2022).

E1251-25

Standard Test Method for Analysis of Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys by Spark Atomic Emission Spectrometry

IEEE/ASTM SI 10

Standard for Use of the International System of Units (SI): The Modern Metric System

H35.1/H35.1(M)-2006

American National Standard Alloy and Temper Designation Systems for Aluminum Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036, http://www.ansi.org.

E34-11

Standard Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Aluminum and Aluminum-Base Alloys

E505-22

Standard Reference Radiographs for Inspection of Aluminum and Magnesium Die Castings

E527-23

Standard Practice for Numbering Metals and Alloys in the Unified Numbering System (UNS)

B275-14

Standard Practice for Codification of Certain Zinc, Tin and Lead Die Castings (Withdrawn 2020)