Industry Application · High-Pressure Die Casting EN AC-46000 · AlSi9Cu3(Fe) · JIS H 5302

ADC12 for automotive die casting

The working alloy for transmission housings, motor and inverter housings, oil pans and EV battery trays. Certified to EN and JIS on a single material test certificate, with CBAM emissions documentation on every shipment.

20 kg ingot Si 9.6–12% Fe 0.8–1.1% for HPDC 10–30 days to EU ports CBAM-documented
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The casting problem

What a production die-casting line actually needs from its ingot

Automotive die casting runs at volume and at speed. The alloy has to fill a complex die in milliseconds, release cleanly, hold dimension through solidification, and behave the same way on the last shot of a heat as it did on the first. Most of that behaviour is determined before the metal reaches your furnace, by the chemistry of the ingot you bought.

Die fill at speed 9.6 to 12% silicon gives ADC12 the fluidity to fill thin walls and long flow paths before the metal freezes. This is what makes 2 to 3 mm sections practical at cycle time.
Controlled die soldering Iron held at 0.8 to 1.1% stops the aluminium welding itself to the steel die. Too little iron shortens die life; too much forms brittle platelets that cost you ductility.
Dimensional stability Low solidification shrinkage and good hot-cracking resistance keep housings within tolerance across a long production run, which is what protects your machining yield.
Heat-to-heat consistency Every ingot carries a stamped heat number traceable to its composition certificate. Process drift you cannot trace back to a heat is process drift you cannot fix.
Alloy selection

Which alloy belongs in which component

ADC12 is the right answer for most automotive die castings, and the wrong answer for a few of them. We would rather quote you the correct alloy than the one we have most of.

Alloy recommendation by automotive component
ComponentAlloyWhy
Transmission and gearbox housings ADC12 Pressure tightness and dimensional stability across thin, cored sections
Motor, inverter and e-drive housings ADC12 Complex cores, good thermal path, stable as-cast properties
Oil pans, timing covers, bell housings ADC12 Fluidity to fill large thin sections in a single shot
EV battery trays and covers, non-structural ADC12 Large thin-wall castings at volume, no load-bearing duty
Engine blocks and bedplates ADC12 Silicon for wear resistance, copper for strength at temperature
Cylinder heads AL-Si (AlSi7Mg / AlSi10Mg) Heat treatable, holds fatigue strength at operating temperature
Structural nodes and crash elements AL-Si (low-iron AlSi10MnMg) Needs 8 to 12% elongation and weldability that ADC12 cannot reach
Cast road wheels AL-Si (AlSi7Mg) Ductility and fatigue life for a safety-critical rotating part

Casting a structural part? See our AL-Si alloy range, or send the drawing and we will tell you which specification fits.

Why Tech Aluminum

What changes when you buy direct from the smelter

One certificate, two standards Every heat is certified to EN AC-46000 and JIS H 5302 on the same material test certificate. If you supply both European and Japanese-spec customers, that removes a second qualified supplier and a second certificate trail.
CBAM documentation as standard Verified embedded-emissions data ships with the metal, not six weeks later on request. Our hydroelectric base at Aswan means fewer certificates against your import than coal-grid origins.
Primary-metal base Our ADC12 is built on primary aluminium with controlled residuals rather than blended from mixed scrap. Residual elements you did not specify are the ones that surprise you in production.
No trading house in between You talk to Noel Murphy, who talks to the plant. Composition changes, tighter windows and trial volumes get answered in a day rather than passed along a chain.

Frequently asked questions

Which aluminium alloy should I use for EV battery enclosures?

It depends on whether the enclosure carries structural load. Non-structural trays, covers and housings are routinely cast in ADC12, which fills large thin-walled sections reliably at high volume. Enclosures that form part of the crash structure need far higher ductility than ADC12 provides, and are normally cast in a low-iron AlSi10MnMg or AlSi7Mg alloy. Tell us which case applies and we will quote the correct alloy rather than the convenient one.

Can ADC12 be used for structural or crash-relevant castings?

Generally no. ADC12 contains 1.5 to 3.5% copper and up to 1.3% iron, which give it strength, machinability and excellent die-casting behaviour, but leave elongation typically in the 1 to 3% range. Structural and crash-relevant castings need 8 to 12% elongation and the ability to be riveted or welded into a body-in-white. Those parts call for a low-iron AlSi10MnMg type alloy. ADC12 remains the right choice for housings, covers and enclosures that are not load-bearing.

What iron content do you supply for high-pressure die casting?

Our standard ADC12 runs iron in the 0.8 to 1.1% band. That is deliberate. Below roughly 0.7% iron, aluminium tends to solder to steel dies in high-pressure die casting, shortening die life and causing surface defects. Above about 1.2%, brittle beta-AlFeSi platelets form and reduce ductility. If your process window needs a different iron target, specify it on the enquiry and we will cast to it.

Can you certify ADC12 to A383 limits for a North American customer?

Yes. ADC12 overlaps most closely with ASTM A383, which carries tighter iron and zinc limits than the base EN AC-46000 specification. If your downstream customer requires A383 compliance, note it on your enquiry and we will tighten the heat composition and certify accordingly on the material test certificate, at no additional cost on standard-tonnage orders.

Do you provide CBAM emissions data for automotive castings entering the EU?

Yes. Every shipment carries verified embedded-emissions data covering direct and indirect emissions per tonne of finished ingot, calculated to the EU CBAM methodology and verified by an accredited third party. Egypt's hydroelectric base at Aswan typically produces lower embedded emissions than aluminium from coal-grid jurisdictions, which means fewer CBAM certificates against your import. Read the full CBAM guide.

Can we run a trial melt before switching supplier?

Yes, and we expect it. First-time European buyers can order 5 to 10 tonnes for qualification testing rather than a full 20 tonne container. Most foundries run the trial alongside their incumbent supply for one or two production weeks, checking die fill, soldering behaviour and machined surface finish before committing to a contract volume.

Send us the part, we will tell you the alloy

Give us the component, the annual volume and the delivery port. Noel Murphy replies within 24 hours with pricing, lead time and CBAM documentation.

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