Originally Posted by
Portlandjim
Instead of assuming everyone will know that when you say "alloy" you mean "aluminum alloy", it's helful to always describe this material using both words. All steel is an alloy. Although when it includes more than just carbon "steel alloy", implies higher properties than carbon steel.
Basic steel isn't an alloy since it only has one metallic element. Iron and carbon. "Alloy steel" is different from "steel".
By tradition, small amounts of metal additives are also not called "alloy steel", while the term is reserved for higher concentrations of other metals
I would not be surprised if pure aluminum had a bad rep at one point, and emphasizing the fact that it is an alloy was key to getting cyclists to accept rims and components made of it. 6061 was originally known as "Alloy 61S" in 1935.