Aluminum 3003 Rectangular Bar Prices

About 3003|Essentially pure aluminum with a bit of manganese. Designed for forming and drawing, not machining. In the shop, this stuff is soft, gummy, and smears on your tools. Machinists describe it as slightly better than 1100 but still miserable. It’s the standard for deep drawing operations, beverage cans, and heat exchangers. If a customer specs 3003 for a machined part, it’s usually because they need it for a subsequent brazing process. Hardened condition (H14, H18) machines a bit better than annealed, but don’t expect clean cuts. Sharp tools, flood coolant, light cuts, and patience.

About Rectangular Bar|Solid rectangular cross-section stock. Functionally similar to flat bar but typically available in thicker, chunkier profiles. The naming varies by supplier — what one calls rectangular bar, another calls flat bar. Used for keys, gibs, wear strips, brackets, and any part where a rectangular starting profile saves setup time versus milling from plate.