Abstract Al − Cu − Li alloys are extensively used for aerospace applications due to their high specific strength, good damage tolerance and excellent property stability. An increased usage of Al − Cu − Li alloys depends on enhancing their mechanical properties such as strength and ductility. The processing and development of ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials with grain sizes of tens and hundreds of nanometres, among materials scientists, have gained significant importance in recent times due to the superior mechanical properties achievable in these materials due to the grain size effect proposed by the Hall-Petch relationship. These ultrafine-grained materials are usually produced by severe plastic deformation (SPD) techniques such as ECAP, multiple compressions, and high pressure torsion. Although SPD has its own advantages, the main constraints are that it requires a severe plastic strain, which is larger than unity and the length of materials produced are very limited. To develop an improved approach in achieving an excellent combination of high strength and ductility, the Al − Cu − Li plates was heat treated at 525 °C for 18 h and 10 h of cooling, then subjected to rolling at room temperatures to a reduction of 60% & 75%. The microstructure before rolling and after rolling was found and validated. Mechanical properties such as hardness and wear test for before rolling and after rolling were found and validated. Micro structural characteristics were found with the help of optical microscope.