Abstract: The continuous ball indentation tests of typical power hardening metal material 6061 aluminum alloy were simulated using ABAQUS software by two- and three-dimensional modeling method. The indentation load-depth curves were obtained and verified by ball indentation experiments. The tensile property parameters by different methods were calculated based on the indentation load-depth curves, and compared with results from uniaxial tensile tests. The effect of sample thickness and distance between adjacent ball indenters on calculated tensile properties were analyzed. The results show that the indentation load-depth curve obtained by the three-dimensional modeling method was more consistent with the ball indentation experiment results. The representative stress and representative strain data obtained by three-dimensional modeling method was more consistent with the stress-strain curve acquired by tensile tests; the relative errors between calculated tensile strength, yield strength and experimental values were no more than 1%, indicating that the method could accurately characterize the tensile properties of test alloy. The critical sample thickness and critical distance bweeen adjacent ball indenters affecting the tensile properties were both 4 times of indenter radius.