Abstract <p>The effects of cold rolling reduction (43, 66, 87%) and annealing temperature (180–350°C) on the mechanical properties and microstructure of 3X04 aluminum alloy sheets were investigated through hardness testing, tensile testing, and microstructure analyses (EBSD, SEM). The results indicate that cold rolling induces grain elongation along the rolling direction, forming a fibrous structure that significantly enhances the hardness and strength of the sheets but reduces their ductility. The recrystallization fraction increases with rising annealing temperature, leading to the gradual formation of fine equiaxed recrystallized grains. Notably, recrystallization is accelerated significantly at approximately 270°C and is nearly completed at 320°C. The regimes of recrystallization kinetics are jointly influenced by cold deformation and precipitation behavior. At lower annealing temperatures (&lt;270°C), stored deformation energy dominates, with the 87% cold-rolled specimen exhibiting the fastest recrystallization rate due to maximum strain energy accumulation. However, at higher annealing temperatures (&gt;270°C), precipitates increasingly hinder dislocation motion and grain boundary migration. This pinning effect becomes more pronounced, resulting in an unexpected reversal: the 67% cold-rolled specimen demonstrates accelerated recrystallization kinetics compared to the 87% counterpart. This phenomenon highlights the competitive interplay between deformation-driven recrystallization and precipitation-induced retardation at elevated temperatures. These results can provide critical parameters for designing thermomechanical treatments that exploit deformation-precipitation synergy in industrial applications requiring formability-strength balance.</p>