UNS C15000 (CW120C) Zirconium Copper
C15000 copper is a lightly alloyed grade of copper, formulated for primary forming into wrought products. CW120C is the EN numeric designation for this material. C15000 is the UNS number. Additionally, the EN chemical designation is CuZr.
It can have the lowest tensile strength among wrought coppers. In addition, it can have a moderately high ductility and has a moderately low melting temperature.
The properties of C15000 copper include eight common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare C15000 copper to: wrought coppers (top), all copper alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
120 GPa 17 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
13 to 54 %
Poisson's Ratio
0.34
Shear Modulus
43 GPa 6.3 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
150 to 280 MPa 21 to 40 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
200 to 460 MPa 29 to 67 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
45 to 460 MPa 6.5 to 67 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
210 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
200 °C 390 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1080 °C 1980 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
980 °C 1800 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
390 J/kg-K 0.092 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
370 W/m-K 210 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
17 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
93 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
93 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
31 % relative
Density
9.0 g/cm3 560 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
2.7 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
43 MJ/kg 19 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
310 L/kg 37 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
19 to 250 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
8.7 to 910 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
7.2 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
18 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
6.2 to 14 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
8.5 to 15 points
Thermal Diffusivity
110 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
7.3 to 17 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought copper alloys, the composition of C15000 copper is notable for including zirconium (Zr). Zirconium is used to increase recrystallization temperature and to permit or facilitate certain forms of heat treatment.
| Cu | 99.8 to 99.9 | |
| Zr | 0.1 to 0.2 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
Copper: Its Trade, Manufacture, Use, and Environmental Status, Gunter Joseph, 2001
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993