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Parts",{"type":194,"value":195,"toc":534},"minimark",[196,200,203,216,222,232,237,240,320,323,336,350,354,357,360,405,413,417,420,426,432,435,454,467,471,474,526],[197,198,199],"p",{},"Material selection comes down to three questions that trade off against each other: how much does it cost, how much does it weigh, and how well does it hold up to corrosion. No single material wins on all three, so the right choice depends on which of those three matters most for your part.",[197,201,202],{},"This post is a framework for working through that decision, then two follow-up decisions that come right after it: what thickness to design in, and whether to powder coat or order galvanized steel for corrosion protection.",[204,205],"iframe",{"width":206,"height":207,"src":208,"title":209,"loading":210,"referrerPolicy":211,"frameBorder":212,"allow":213,"allowFullScreen":214,"style":215},315,560,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FcW7C8d_Ovj4","How to pick the right metal for your part","lazy","strict-origin-when-cross-origin","0","accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share",true,"display: block; margin: 0 auto",[197,217,218],{},[219,220,221],"em",{},"Compare the same part in 6061 aluminum, 1008 steel, and 304 stainless steel by price, weight, and 30-day corrosion performance.",[223,224,225,229],"details",{},[226,227,228],"summary",{},"Video transcript",[197,230,231],{},"Same part, three materials, quantity of one. Let's see what changes. First, price. 6061 aluminum: around $37. 1008 steel: around $32. 304 stainless: around $39. Weight: aluminum, 45 grams; steel, 123; stainless, 128. Aluminum's a third the weight. Corrosion: after 30 days, steel rusts hard, aluminum slightly changes, stainless looks brand new. So steel for cheap, aluminum for light, stainless for outside.",[233,234,236],"h2",{"id":235},"cost-vs-weight-vs-corrosion","Cost vs. Weight vs. Corrosion",[197,238,239],{},"Here's how the materials Fabworks stocks stack up against each other on the three factors that usually decide the choice:",[241,242,243,262],"table",{},[244,245,246],"thead",{},[247,248,249,253,256,259],"tr",{},[250,251,252],"th",{},"Material",[250,254,255],{},"Relative Cost",[250,257,258],{},"Weight",[250,260,261],{},"Corrosion Resistance",[263,264,265,280,293,307],"tbody",{},[247,266,267,271,274,277],{},[268,269,270],"td",{},"Steel (1008 \u002F A36)",[268,272,273],{},"Lowest",[268,275,276],{},"Heavy",[268,278,279],{},"Poor bare; needs a finish",[247,281,282,285,288,290],{},[268,283,284],{},"Galvanized Steel (G90)",[268,286,287],{},"Low-Moderate",[268,289,276],{},[268,291,292],{},"Good, zinc coating is sacrificial",[247,294,295,298,301,304],{},[268,296,297],{},"Aluminum (5052 \u002F 6061 \u002F 7075)",[268,299,300],{},"Moderate",[268,302,303],{},"Lightest (~1\u002F3 of steel)",[268,305,306],{},"Good, self-protecting oxide layer",[247,308,309,312,315,317],{},[268,310,311],{},"Stainless Steel (304-2B)",[268,313,314],{},"Highest",[268,316,276],{},[268,318,319],{},"Best, chromium oxide layer",[197,321,322],{},"A few rules of thumb fall out of that table:",[324,325,326,330,333],"ul",{},[327,328,329],"li",{},"If cost is the deciding factor and the part will live indoors or get a finish, bare steel is almost always the answer.",[327,331,332],{},"If weight is the deciding factor, aluminum wins by a wide margin, roughly a third of the weight of steel for the same size part.",[327,334,335],{},"If corrosion resistance is the deciding factor and the part needs to look like bare metal, stainless is the safest choice. If it doesn't need to look like bare metal, galvanized steel gets you most of the corrosion resistance at a lower cost.",[197,337,338,339,344,345,349],{},"For a deeper comparison of the metals themselves, ",[340,341,343],"a",{"href":342},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsteel-vs-alu","Steel vs. Aluminum"," and ",[340,346,348],{"href":347},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcomparing-mild-stainless","Mild Steel vs. Stainless Steel"," cover strength, formability, weldability, and machinability in more detail.",[233,351,353],{"id":352},"picking-a-thickness","Picking a Thickness",[197,355,356],{},"Once you've settled on a material, thickness is the next decision, and it's driven by a different set of trade-offs: strength and stiffness on one side, weight, bendability, and cost on the other. Thicker material resists deflection and impact better, but it costs more, takes longer to cut, and needs a larger bend radius. Thinner material is lighter and easier to form, but flexes more under load.",[197,358,359],{},"Design around Fabworks' stocked thicknesses whenever possible. Stocked material keeps lead times short and pricing predictable, since anything outside the stocked lineup has to be special-ordered.",[324,361,362,369,375,381,387,393,399],{},[327,363,364,368],{},[365,366,367],"strong",{},"1008 cold-rolled steel",": 0.048\", 0.059\", 0.074\", 0.104\", 0.119\", 0.135\", 0.187\"",[327,370,371,374],{},[365,372,373],{},"G90 galvanized steel",": 0.048\", 0.059\", 0.074\"",[327,376,377,380],{},[365,378,379],{},"A36 hot-rolled pickled and oiled steel",": 0.250\", 0.375\"",[327,382,383,386],{},[365,384,385],{},"304-2B stainless steel",": 0.048\", 0.060\", 0.074\", 0.100\", 0.120\"",[327,388,389,392],{},[365,390,391],{},"5052-H32 aluminum",": 0.040\", 0.063\", 0.080\", 0.090\", 0.100\", 0.125\", 0.187\"",[327,394,395,398],{},[365,396,397],{},"6061-T6 aluminum",": 0.040\", 0.063\", 0.090\", 0.125\", 0.187\", 0.250\"",[327,400,401,404],{},[365,402,403],{},"7075-T6 aluminum",": 0.250\"",[197,406,407,408,412],{},"If your drawings are in gauge rather than inches, our ",[340,409,411],{"href":410},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-is-sheet-metal-gauge","sheet metal gauge guide"," has a full conversion chart by material, plus notes on which gauges map to which stocked thicknesses. As a starting point, 14-18 gauge covers most general-purpose brackets, panels, and enclosures; go thicker for structural parts, thinner for lightweight covers and decorative pieces.",[233,414,416],{"id":415},"powder-coat-or-order-galvanized","Powder Coat or Order Galvanized?",[197,418,419],{},"This is where people get tripped up, because powder coating and galvanizing solve a similar problem, corrosion resistance, in two different ways.",[197,421,422,425],{},[365,423,424],{},"Powder coating is a finish applied after the part is cut."," It's a dry powder that's melted, hardened, and cured into a protective layer on top of whatever material you chose, in any of a wide range of colors. Beyond protection, it's also how you get a part to match a specific color or brand standard. It adds roughly 2-4 thousandths of an inch to each coated surface, so factor that into tight-tolerance features, and it takes a few extra days of lead time on top of the base cutting and forming time.",[197,427,428,431],{},[365,429,430],{},"Galvanized steel is a material choice, not a finish."," G90 steel comes zinc-coated before it's ever cut, and that zinc coating is sacrificial: if it gets scratched, the zinc corrodes first and protects the steel underneath rather than letting rust spread. It's a cost-effective way to get long-term outdoor corrosion resistance without adding a separate finishing step or a color. The trade-off is that galvanized parts only support the No Deburring finish, and the coating makes welding more difficult, so it's a better fit for parts that are fastened together than parts that need to be welded.",[197,433,434],{},"A simple way to decide between the two:",[324,436,437,444,451],{},[327,438,439,440,443],{},"Need a specific color or a painted look? ",[365,441,442],{},"Powder coat"," it, on steel, aluminum, or stainless.",[327,445,446,447,450],{},"Need outdoor or utility-grade corrosion resistance and don't need to weld the part or care about color? ",[365,448,449],{},"Order it in galvanized steel"," and skip the extra finishing step.",[327,452,453],{},"Need both a specific color and maximum corrosion resistance? Powder coat over stainless steel or aluminum rather than galvanized, since galvanized's zinc coating is what gets covered up by the paint layer, and you'd be paying for corrosion resistance that the powder coat is doing anyway.",[197,455,456,457,461,462,466],{},"If rust is the primary concern rather than looks, ",[340,458,460],{"href":459},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpreventing-rust","How to Prevent Rust on Laser Cut Parts"," and the ",[340,463,465],{"href":464},"\u002Fblog\u002Fpowder-coating-guide","powder coating guide"," go deeper on both design and maintenance.",[233,468,470],{"id":469},"bringing-it-together","Bringing It Together",[197,472,473],{},"For most parts, the decision looks something like this:",[241,475,476,486],{},[244,477,478],{},[247,479,480,483],{},[250,481,482],{},"If your priority is...",[250,484,485],{},"Consider...",[263,487,488,496,504,511,518],{},[247,489,490,493],{},[268,491,492],{},"Lowest cost, indoor use",[268,494,495],{},"Bare 1008 or A36 steel",[247,497,498,501],{},[268,499,500],{},"Lightest weight",[268,502,503],{},"5052, 6061, or 7075 aluminum",[247,505,506,509],{},[268,507,508],{},"Best corrosion resistance, bare metal look",[268,510,385],{},[247,512,513,516],{},[268,514,515],{},"Outdoor\u002Futility durability at lower cost",[268,517,373],{},[247,519,520,523],{},[268,521,522],{},"A specific color or brand finish",[268,524,525],{},"Any material, powder coated",[197,527,528,529,533],{},"None of these decisions happen in isolation, material, thickness, and finish all move your price and lead time together. If you're not sure where to land, ",[340,530,532],{"href":531},"\u002F","upload your file for an instant quote"," and compare a few material and thickness combinations directly, or reach out and we'll help you pick.",{"title":535,"searchDepth":536,"depth":536,"links":537},"",2,[538,539,540,541],{"id":235,"depth":536,"text":236},{"id":352,"depth":536,"text":353},{"id":415,"depth":536,"text":416},{"id":469,"depth":536,"text":470},[543,113],"Design","2026-08-14","2026-08-17","A practical framework for picking sheet metal material, thickness, and finish, weighing cost, weight, and corrosion resistance, plus when to powder coat versus order galvanized steel.","md","\u002Fblog\u002Fchoosing-the-right-material\u002Fthumbnail.webp",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fchoosing-the-right-material",{"title":192,"description":546},"Learn how to choose the right sheet metal material for your parts. Compare aluminum, steel, stainless, and galvanized steel on cost, weight, and corrosion resistance, then pick the right thickness and finish.","How to Choose the Right Sheet Metal Material: Cost vs. Weight vs. Corrosion",{"loc":550},"blog\u002Fchoosing-the-right-material",{"name":557,"description":558,"embed_url":208,"thumbnail_url":559,"upload_date":560,"duration":561,"transcript":562},"How to Pick the Right Metal for Your Part","A side-by-side comparison of the same part in 6061 aluminum, 1008 steel, and 304 stainless steel by price, weight, and corrosion resistance.","https:\u002F\u002Fi.ytimg.com\u002Fvi\u002FcW7C8d_Ovj4\u002Fmaxresdefault.jpg","2026-06-26T09:39:31-07:00","PT27S","Same part, three materials, quantity of one. Let’s see what changes. First, price. 6061 aluminum: around $37. 1008 steel: around $32. 304 stainless: around $39. Weight: aluminum, 45 grams; steel, 123; stainless, 128. Aluminum’s a third the weight. Corrosion: after 30 days, steel rusts hard, aluminum slightly changes, stainless looks brand new. So steel for cheap, aluminum for light, stainless for outside.","0NRmAzElheavjZq00FFsI0YtTGBcBBpJ3GGYiH5BTvc",[54,565],{"title":566,"path":567,"stem":568,"description":569,"children":-1},"Faster Cuts: Our New 10kW Laser Is Online","\u002Fblog\u002Ffaster-cuts-new-10kw-laser-online","blog\u002Ffaster-cuts-new-10kw-laser-online","Fabworks added a second fiber laser, a 10kW TRUMPF TruLaser 5030, that cuts up to 2.5x faster than our original 4kW machine, with the same part size and tolerance.",1786992249217]