Abstract: A method for surface treatment of sheets and strips of aluminum alloy to form a chemically altered layer. The sheet or strip is the product of a manufacturing process including a thermal treatment step followed by cooling in a liquid in which a chemical conversion is carried out using the cooling liquid. The cooling liquid preferably contains between 1 and 10% by weight of at least one salt of one at least of the metals Si, Ti, Zr, Ce, Mn, Mo and V. The invention is particularly applicable to sheets and strips which need a controlled oxide surface for the production of chassis components for the automobile industry for spot gluing or welding.