An A-rated aluminum alloy suitable for machining, said alloy consisting essentially of: about 0.15-1.0 wt. % copper, about 1.01-1.5 wt. % tin, about 0.65-1.35 wt. % magnesium, about 0.4-1.1 wt. % silicon, about 0.00 2-0.35 wt. % manganese, up to about 0.5 wt. % iron, up to about 0.15 wt. % chromium and up to about 0.15 wt. % titanium, the remainder substantially aluminum. On a preferred basis, this alloy contains about 0.51-0.75 wt. % copper, about 1.1-1.3 wt. % tin, about 0.7-0.9 wt. % magnesium and about 0.45-0.75 wt. % silicon. The alloy is substantially free of lead, bismuth, nickel, zirconium and cadmium. There is further disclosed an improved method for making screw machine stock or wire, rod and bar product from this alloy by casting, preheating, extruding, solution heat treating, cold finishing and thermally processing the aforementioned alloy composition.