Aluminum (Civ5)

Aluminum
Strategic resource
Introduced in Civilization V
Revealed by	Electricity
Found on:
Desert
Desert
Plains
Plains
Tundra
Tundra
Hills
Hills
Resource value
0
0
1
1
0
0
Improvements
Mine available with  Mining +2
Required for
Helicopter Gunship
Helicopter Gunship
Jet Fighter
Jet Fighter
Modern Armor
Modern Armor
Rocket Artillery
Rocket Artillery
Stealth Bomber
Stealth Bomber
Hydro Plant
Hydro Plant
Spaceship Factory
Spaceship Factory

Back to the list of resources

Game Info

Advanced late-game strategic resource. Used by powerful late-game units.

Strategy

Aluminum is discovered about the same time as Oil, with the Electricity technology. Aluminum sources are more common than Oil sources, found in the more conventional locations as a general rule, and they're also much easier to find than Coal sources.

Try to plan your late-game expansions so that you ensure access to this important resource. Aluminum is accessed with the Mine and conveys the usual benefits to Production. Aluminum can also be gained by building a Recycling Center.

Aluminum is used a bit differently than the military-only Oil: some late-game economic buildings, such as the Hydro Plant, also require it. In the Information Era, many military vehicles start to use Aluminum instead of Oil, vastly increasing its consumption.

Lastly, all six parts of the spaceship require Aluminum to build. Since each part stops consuming the resource when it is added, it is possible to complete the spaceship with just one unit of Aluminum. Be sure to plan accordingly.

Civilopedia entry

Aluminum is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. A remarkably useful metal, aluminum is flexible, durable, and highly resistant to corrosion. Although plentiful, in its natural state aluminum is almost always found combined with other materials. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that scientists discovered how to extract and process aluminum in quantity. By the 20th-21st centuries it is widely used in the construction of military, aerospace, and consumer goods. Remember that aluminum is a strategic resource, and thus it is consumed as you construct the associated units and buildings.

See also

• Aluminum in other games