Most aluminum parts in the world are 6061-T6. It machines beautifully, welds, anodizes, and costs about $4/lb. 7075-T6 has nearly twice the yield strength — and a price tag to match.
When 7075 wins
- High-stress brackets where weight matters (aerospace, racing)
- Wear surfaces that need fatigue resistance
- Dies and tooling that see repeated impact
When 7075 backfires
- Welded assemblies — 7075 is essentially unweldable in production
- Marine environments — significantly worse corrosion resistance than 6061
- Parts that need anodizing for color — 7075 anodizes muddy and inconsistent
Default to 6061. Only step up to 7075 when a calculation tells you to.