2070 – 05 – Characteristics of Copper

Copper is a common non-ferrous metal that has been in use for over six thousand years. Today, it’s mostly employed in the electrical industry. Copper is a reddish color that has a bright shine. It has the greatest recycling rate of any other non-ferrous metal. Copper has several desirable characteristics: Electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, ductility and corrosion resistance.

The majority of copper is in various forms of alloys and its most common use is in copper wire.