ZOFORTY 20 Pack 6061 T6 Aluminum Sheet Metal 6 x 6 x 1/64 Inch Flat Plain Aluminum Plate Covered with Protective Film, 6061 Aluminum Sheet Plate for Crafting, Finely Polished and Deburred

Why I picked up these aluminum squares

I wanted a small-stack, ready-to-use aluminum blank I could keep on hand for shop fixes and a couple of craft projects—photo mounting, small panels, and lightweight patching. The ZOFORTY 6x6 sheets looked like a straightforward option: 20 pieces, thin enough to cut cleanly, but made from 6061-T6 for better stiffness than the softer hobby alloys. After running them through a few real tasks, here’s what stood out.

First impressions and what’s in the pack

Each sheet arrives with protective film on both faces. That’s more useful than it sounds: it kept handling marks to a minimum while I cut, drilled, and test-fit parts, and it peels off cleanly without residue. Under the film, the surface is a fine, uniform finish—closer to a light brush than a mirror polish—which takes layout markings well and looks tidy enough to leave exposed if you’re going for a raw aluminum look.

Edges are deburred, but they’re still edges; think “freshly sheared sheet” more than “safety edge.” I didn’t encounter ragged burrs, but I’d still recommend a quick pass with a sanding block or a deburring tool—especially if you’re using them as photo backers or signage that’ll be handled often.

Dimensions, tolerances, and squareness

Thickness measured consistently for me in the 0.46–0.48 mm range. That’s slightly thicker than a true 1/64 inch (about 0.40 mm) and close to a nominal 0.02 inch. The good news is the thickness is uniform sheet-to-sheet, which helps when you’re shimming or stacking. The trade-off is the length and squareness. The blanks I measured ran a hair under 6 inches and weren’t perfectly square out of the pack. For most craft and general shop uses, that won’t matter; for precision jigs or tightly framed pieces that expect a true 6.000-inch square, plan to trim to final dimensions.

Flatness was generally good, with a few pieces showing a very slight bow. At this gauge, it’s easy enough to flatten by hand on a smooth surface or by running a soft roller over the face. If you’re bonding a photo print or a vinyl graphic, the adhesive layer will help pull out minor warp once the piece is pressed down.

Cutting, drilling, and forming

At roughly 0.5 mm thick, these are amenable to a variety of cutting options:

• Aviation snips will do the job, but use care to avoid edge curl. For straight cuts, a shear or guillotine gives cleaner results.
• A fine-tooth jigsaw or bandsaw works well if you support the work to minimize chatter.
• A scoring knife and a straight edge can snap-cut at this thickness if you take a few deliberate passes.

Drilling was uneventful. Standard HSS bits cut cleanly with light pressure; a backer board reduces exit burr. A step bit is a nice upgrade if you’re making larger holes for standoffs or cable pass-throughs.

Bending is where the alloy and temper matter. 6061-T6 is strong and stable but not especially forgiving on tight bends. You can brake it to shallow angles and broad radii without issue, but crisp 90-degree bends will want a generous radius (several times the thickness) to avoid micro-cracking. If you’re planning folded boxes or tight hems, you’ll either want to locally anneal the bend line or choose a softer alloy like 5052 or 3003 for that specific job.

Joining and finishing options

For fastening, mechanical methods and adhesives are your friends at this thickness. Pop rivets, tiny countersunk screws, and VHB-style tapes all worked well. For bonded joints, I get best results by lightly scuffing with 400–600 grit, degreasing with isopropyl alcohol, and then applying the adhesive. 6061’s oxide layer forms quickly; that prep step makes a noticeable difference.

Welding 0.5 mm aluminum is advanced territory. 6061 is weldable, but TIG at this gauge has a steep learning curve, and you’ll often lose the T6 temper near the joint. For most small projects, adhesive, riveting, or brazing makes more sense.

On finish options, the sheets accept paint after a quick scuff and degrease, and they also take clear coat well if you want to lock in the clean aluminum look. Bare, they’ll slowly dull with oxidation, especially outdoors. 6061 resists corrosion fine in ordinary environments, but it’s not a marine-grade alloy—if you’re near salt spray, a coating is worthwhile. Anodizing is possible with 6061 if you’re set up for it, though not something I tested with this batch.

Practical uses I tried

• Photo mounting: With the protective film on during cutting and drilling, I kept the faces pristine. After peeling, I used a spray adhesive to mount glossy prints to the face. The stiffness is adequate to keep the print flat, and the thin gauge makes hanging easy with foam squares or low-profile tape. I recommend breaking the edges with a sanding block beforehand to avoid sharp corners.

• Small utility panels and labels: Markings show well on the clean surface, and it’s simple to drill for standoffs or screws. If you’re printing or using vinyl, the surface is smooth enough that you won’t telegraph texture through the decal.

• Light patching and covers: For closing off small openings in shop fixtures and covering wear spots, the balance of thinness and stiffness is useful. You can hand-form gentle curves and tack down with brads or small screws without splitting wood substrates.

• Shop whiteboard substitute: Clean aluminum takes dry-erase marker reasonably well. Ghosting can happen with some inks, so a quick wipe with alcohol restores it. It’s a handy way to add a miniature note panel to a jig or cabinet door.

One note: aluminum is non-magnetic. If your plan involves magnets, you’ll need to adhere a steel plate instead or use magnetic tape.

What I liked

• Protective film on both sides kept surfaces scratch-free through cutting, drilling, and handling.
• Consistent thickness made stacking and shimming predictable.
• 6061-T6 offers better stiffness than softer craft alloys at the same gauge, so small panels feel less floppy.
• Surface finish is clean and presentable out of the box, with no deep gouges or milling marks.

Where it falls short

• Nominal 6x6 dimensions are generous; expect to trim if you truly need 6.000 inches and perfect squareness.
• Edges, while not razor-burred, are still sharp enough to warrant a quick deburr—especially for handheld items.
• Tight bends aren’t friendly with T6 temper at this thickness. Choose a different alloy or plan for large radii if you’re folding.

Who it’s for

These sheets fit makers, crafters, and light-duty fabricators who want a neat, uniform blank in a convenient size. They shine as photo backers, label plates, small covers, shim stock, and lightweight panels. If your work demands exact 6-inch squares, laser-cut precision, or frequent tight folds, you’ll want to treat these as rough stock and finish to size—or look for a softer, tighter-tolerance alternative.

The bottom line

As a general-purpose stash of aluminum squares, the ZOFORTY 6x6 sheets have earned a spot on my shelf. They’re clean, consistent in thickness, easy to work with common tools, and protected well enough to keep the faces pristine until you’re ready to use them. The trade-offs—undersized cuts, not-quite-perfect squareness, and sharp edges—are manageable with a few minutes of finishing. They’re not the right choice for precision-fixture work or tight-radius forming, but for everyday projects and craft applications, they’re a practical, good-value solution.

Recommendation: I recommend these sheets for anyone who needs a reliable, ready-to-use aluminum blank for crafting, light fabrication, and shop projects. They deliver on surface quality and usability, provided you’re willing to true up the edges when precise dimensions matter and avoid tight bends in T6 temper.