The tensile and fracture behavior of ultrafine-grained Al 6061 alloy has been studied by experimental testing and extended finite element method simulation. The ultrafine-grained alloy processed by cryorolling has been produced from its bulk alloy with different thickness reductions. Microstructural features have been evaluated by electron backscattered diffraction. The EBSD results show the formation of subgrains and large number of high-angle grain boundaries in the rolled Al alloy. Mechanical behavior has been investigated using microhardness, tensile test, fracture toughness, and fractography of all samples. The extended finite element method has been used to investigate elastic–plastic deformation behavior of ultrafine-grained Al 6061 alloy. The extended finite element method has been used to simulate tensile and fracture behavior of ultrafine-grained alloy with material constants evaluated from experimentally measured tensile properties. Simulated tensile and fracture properties are in tandem with the experimental results. Ultrafine-grained Al 6061 alloy has shown better tensile strength and fracture toughness as evident from experimental and simulation results. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York and ASM International.