Types of Metals

What is a Metal?
A metal is a type of material that conducts electricity and heat relatively well. When
metal is freshly crafted, polished, or fractured, it exhibits a lustrous appearance. Metals
are usually hammered into thin sheets (malleable) or can be drawn into wires
(ductile).

Since the Bronze Age, people have been looking for new ways to develop, refine, and
use metals. In addition, metals are advances in metalworking and manufacturing
processes that gave us the Industrial Revolution.

Metals usually have a high melting point and are less likely to degrade under high
temperatures. Furthermore, metals are stronger, harder, and more durable than their
plastic counterparts.

There are thousands of different types of metals out there, and each has been
developed for very specific applications. We bring you an interesting guide that will
help you get to know some of these common metals and where they are used.

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Types of Metals
The following are the most common types of metals:

1. Steel
2. Carbon steel
3. Alloy steel
4. Stainless steel
5. Iron
6. Pig iron
7. Cast iron
8. Wrought iron
9. Aluminum
10. Copper
11. Brass
12. Bronze
13. Cobalt
14. Magnesium
15. Nickel
16. Lead
17. Tin
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18. Zinc
19. Titanium
20. Tungsten
21. Silicon
22. Silver
23. Gold

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#1 Steel

Steel is a type of alloy of several chemical elements that are made of iron with carbon to
improve its strength and fracture resistance. It consists of iron and carbon with higher
carbon content up to a maximum of 2%.

Steel is the most widely used material for building infrastructure and industries in the
world. It is commonly used to make everything from sewing needles to oil tankers.
Since it has high tensile strength and low cost, steel is used in buildings, instruments,
cars, machines, electrical equipment, and weapons.

#2 Carbon Steel

Carbon steel is defined as steel that has its properties

mainly due to its carbon content and does not contain
more than 0.5% of silicon and 1.5% manganese. It is the basic
steel that contains carbon and iron, although some other
elements may be added in very small amounts.

It is divided into three categories which are low, medium,

and high carbon steel. More carbon means harder and
stronger, whereas less carbon means cheaper and softer. A
common use of this steel is for knife making due to its high
carbon content, which helps the blade retain more edge.

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#3 Alloy Steel

It is the steel that has elements other than carbon added in sufficient quantity, in order
to obtain special properties for the metal, which is known as alloy steel. These alloying
elements include manganese, vanadium, chromium, nickel, and tungsten.

It is generally done to increase its strength, hardness, toughness, resistance to abrasion

and wear and to improve electrical as well as magnetic properties. It is an extremely
common type of metal because it is still very cheap to make. This steel is used to make
pipes, especially for energy-related applications.

#4 Stainless Steel

It is defined as that steel when directly heat-treated and finished resists oxidation and
corroding from corrosive media. It is also known as rust-free steel because it contains a
minimum of about 11% chromium that prevents iron from rusting and also provides heat-
resistant properties.

The various types of stainless steel include the elements carbon, nitrogen, silicon,
sulfur, titanium, copper, and more. Use of stainless steel is commonly found in kitchen
tools, knives, tables, utensils, and anything that comes into contact with food. In
addition,
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they have also used highly stress fittings such as bars, sheets, and wires in engines and
machines.

#5 Iron

Iron is a chemical element that is represented as the symbol Fe. It comes in the first
transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. Even though it's a super old-
fashioned metal during the "Iron Age," it still has plenty of modern uses.

Iron is the most commonly used and cheapest metal on Earth. Iron is further classified
into three types which are pig iron, cast iron, and wrought iron.

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#6 Pig Iron

It is a crude form of iron and is used as a raw material for the production of various
other ferrous metals, such as cast iron, wrought iron, and steel. These irons are gained
by smelting raw iron ores in a blast furnace.

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Pig iron has a very high carbon content of 3.8–4.7%, with silica and other components
of the aggregate. This makes it very brittle and not directly useful as a material except
in limited applications. The common use of this iron is found in an electric arc furnace
which is for making steel.

#7 Cast Iron

Cast iron is obtained by further melting pig iron with coke and limestone in a furnace
called a cupola. It is the primary allow of iron and carbon. The carbon contents in cast
iron vary from 1.7% to 4.5%.

In addition, it also contains a small amount of silicon, manganese, phosphorus, and

sulfur. Since it is a brittle material, therefore it cannot be used in parts that are subject
to shock. The cast iron provides good casting properties, high strength, wear-
resistance, and low cost.

#8 Wrought Iron

It is a type of iron alloy that has a very low carbon content of about 0.08%, unlike cast
iron. Wrought iron offers many mechanical properties such as toughness, ductility,

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ductility, and corrosion-resistant. Plus, they are easily welded but are more difficult to
weld electrically.

These types of metals are highly purified metals, with small amounts of silicate slag
being moulded into the filaments. The presence of slag can be beneficial for
blacksmithing jobs such as forging. They are used to make many products such as
guard rails, garden furniture, and gates.

#9 Aluminum

Aluminum is a type of metal with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. It is a bluish-
white, light metal having a specific gravity of 2.7 and a melting point is 658°C. The
density of the metal is lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of
steel.

In its pure state, the metal would be weak and soft for most purposes, but when mixed
with small amounts of other alloys, it becomes hard and rigid. So, it may be blanked,
formed, drawn turned, cast, forged, and then die cast. It has good electrical
conductivity is an important property and is widely used for overhead cables. Also
used in aircraft and automobile parts.

#10 Copper

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Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and has an atomic number of 29. It is
a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with a reddish-brown appearance. Its specific
gravity is 8.9 and its melting point is 1083°C. Copper is not found in a pure state from
under the earth.

It provides good conductivity of electricity. The metal may be cast, forged, rolled, and
drawn into wires. It is used extensively in making electric wire and wire, for electrical
machinery and equipment, in electrotyping and electroplating, and in making coins and
household utensils.

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#11 Brass

In today's world, brass is the most commonly used copper and zinc alloy. There are
different types of brass available depending on the ratio of copper and zinc. By adding
small amounts of other elements, the properties of the brass can be quite changed
which can be either mechanical, electrical, or chemical.

The brass has greater strength than that copper but has a lower thermal and electrical
conductivity. These are very resistant to atmospheric corrosion and can be easily
soldered. The common applications are found in the making of locks, gears, brings,
valves, etc.

#12 Bronze

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The alloys of copper and tin are usually known as bronzes. The useful mixture of
components is 75 to 95% copper and 5 to 25% tin. These types of metals are
comparatively hard, resist surface wear, and can be shaped or rolled into wires, rods,
and sheets very easily.

As it offers corrosion resistance properties, bronzes are superior compared to brasses.

Bronze is also more molten which means more easily melted and therefore easier to
cast. Aluminum bronzes are particularly strong and are cast or forged in pipe fittings,
pumps, gears, ships, and turbine blades.

#13 Cobalt

Cobalt is a type of chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is
similar to iron and nickel is added to its physical properties. Cobalt is a free element
produced by reductive smelting and is a hard, lustrous, silvery-gray metal.

Cobalt is commonly found in plants and animals, air, water, soil, and rocks. It can also
enter other environments by washing away cobalt-rich soil and rock with wind-blown
dust or rainwater. It is used in many alloys that are used to make parts for aircraft
engines, gas turbines, and high-speed steel.

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#14 Magnesium

Magnesium is also a type of chemical element with the symbol Mg and has an atomic
number of 12. It is a lustrous gray solid that shares many physical and chemical
properties. This is the lightest metal and has a tensile strength of the cast metal is 910
kg/cm2.

These types of metals are harder than aluminum and can be readily machined and
under the buffering wheel, it takes a high polish. It is preferable when it is important to
reduce weight, because of its low density of 1.74. These types of metals are used to
make sheets, wires, rods, tubes, etc.

#15 Nickel

It is a type of chemical element with the symbol Ni and its atomic number 28. It is a
silvery-white metal capable of taking a high polish. Its specific gravity is 8.85 and its
melting point is 1452°C. In addition, it is almost as hard as soft steel.

In cases when it contains little carbon, it shows quite malleable properties. It is less
ductile than soft steel, but the ductility becomes much better when there is little
magnesium. It is mostly used as a coating for other metals such as steel, copper, brass,
etc. for both decorative and corrosion protection purposes.

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#16 Lead

Lead is a chemical component with the symbol Pb and has the atomic number 82. It is
heavy in weight that is denser than most common materials. These metals are softer
and malleable, and also have a relatively low melting point.

It is a bluish-grey metal having a specific gravity of 1.36 and its melting point is 326°C.
Since it is a soft metal, it can be easily cut with a blade. Also, it has no tenacity. The lead
is generally used for making solders, as a lining for acid tanks, cisterns, water pipes,
and as coating electrical cables.

#17 Tin

The representative symbol of tin is Sn and its atomic number is 50. Tin is a silver-
colored metal that typically has a pale yellow tinge. Tin is soft enough to be cut with
little force and a strip of tin can be folded by hand with little effort.

It is brightly shining white metal plus soft, malleable and ductile. The metal can be
easily rolled into a very thin sheet. Tin is generally used for making important alloys
fine solder, as a protective coating for iron and steel sheets, and for making tin foils
used as moisture-proof packing.

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#18 Zinc

As being a chemical element, it is represented as symbol Zn and atomic number 30.

Zinc is a brittle metal and has a silver-brown appearance when no oxidation occurs.
The specific gravity of zinc is 7.1 and its melting point is 420°C.

Due to its high resistance to atmospheric corrosion, it is used for covering steel sheets
to form galvanized iron. When rolled into sheets, zinc is used for roof covering and for
providing a damp-proof non-corrosive lining to containers, etc. The other important
uses of zinc are in the manufacture of brasses and in the production of zinc base die
casting.

#19 Titanium

It is also a chemical piece with the symbol Ti and the atomic number 22. Titanium is
found in nature, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver
color, low density, high strength, and corrosion-resistant.

It is a lightweight, high-strength, low-corrosion metal and is used as an alloy for parts

in high-speed aircraft. Titanium can be mixed with iron, aluminum, and other elements

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to produce strong, lightweight alloys for aerospace, automotive, mobile phones, and
other applications.

#20 Tungsten

Tungsten is the chemical type of element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. It
is a rare metal that occurs naturally on Earth in the form of compounds with other
elements. Tungsten has a melting point of 3,422 °C and also has the highest boiling
point of 5,930 °C.

These types of metals density are 19.25 grams per cubic centimeter, which is equal to
that of uranium and gold. Tungsten has been used in many alloys and has many
applications. The common application includes light bulbs, X-ray tubes, electrodes in
gas welding, superalloys, and radiation shielding.

#21 Silicon

It is a type of chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard,
brittle, solid with a bluish-gray metal. Silicon is the second most large element in the
Earth's crust, being exceeded only by oxygen.

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Its melting point is 1414 °C and its boiling point is 3265 °C. It has a low cost due to the
use of well-established processing techniques. It is available to see in dynamo and
transformer plates, engine blocks, cylinder heads, machine tools manufacturing, and
more.

#22 Silver

Silver is represented as the symbol Ag and the atomic number 47. It is a soft, white,
lustrous transition metal, displaying the highest electrical conductivity and thermal
conductivity. It is found in pure form in the earth's crust and is the free native form of
native silver.

This is an alloy with gold and some added mixture of other metals. Silver has long been
valued as a precious metal and is used to make many bullion coins. In addition to
currency, silver is used in solar panels, water filtration, jewelry, high-value tableware,
and utensils. Its mixtures are also used in photographic and X-ray film.

#23 Gold

Gold is a type of transition metal and falls in the same

periodic table column as silver and copper. It is denoted
as the symbol Au and has an atomic number of 79. Gold
is a bright, light orange-yellow color, dense, soft,
malleable, and ductile in the pure form of the metal.

Gold is, in fact, one of the first metals known to man,

having originated by the Egyptians. In addition, it has
always been a symbol of wealth and beauty. Being a rare
element, gold is a precious metal that has been used
throughout history to make coins, jewelry, and other
arts.

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Periodic Table of Metals

The figure below shows the list of metals in the periodic table:

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