Copper: An Overview

Posted in The World Of Metal on 27th April 2011

William Rowland are a leading supplier of Copper.

Copper Granules

Copper and its alloys have been used for at least 10,000 years. During Roman times it was mainly sourced from Cyprus, and thus was originally named cyprium, meaning Metal of Cyprus. Despite its long history, over 95% of mined copper has been extracted since 1900 and estimates of remaining reserves vary between 25 and 60 years.

Copper does not react with water however it does react with atmospheric oxygen to form a layer of copper oxide. Unlike with iron oxide, this copper oxide layer prevents further corrosion of the metal. Carbon in the air also reacts with the metal to produce copper carbonate which is green in colour and can be seen on many old copper constructions, most famously the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Pure copper is an excellent conductor of both heat and electricity, and is common as a building material. Due to its corrosion resistance, it is also widely used as piping for water, refrigeration and air conditioning.

Copper in its pure form is often too soft for use so is often incorporated into alloys such as brass (copper and zinc), Cupronickel (copper and nickel) and bronze, which is usually a copper-tin alloy but aluminium may be used in place of the tin. Copper is also an important element in the jewellery industry, where it is used in the manufacture of carat silver and carat gold, and in carat solders to modify the hardness, colour and melting point of the resulting alloy.

William Rowland Ltd are copper suppliers, and if you would like to find out how we can meet your requirements, please contact us using the Quick Enquiry Form on the right-hand side of this website.

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