UNS C17465 Nickel-Lead-Beryllium Copper
C17465 copper is a lightly alloyed grade of copper, formulated for primary forming into wrought products. It has a moderately high base cost and a moderately high embodied energy among wrought coppers.
The properties of C17465 copper include four 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 C17465 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
5.3 to 36 %
Poisson's Ratio
0.34
Rockwell B Hardness
44 to 110
Shear Modulus
44 GPa 6.3 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
210 to 540 MPa 30 to 78 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
310 to 930 MPa 45 to 130 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
120 to 830 MPa 18 to 120 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
210 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
210 °C 420 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1080 °C 1970 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1030 °C 1880 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
390 J/kg-K 0.092 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
220 W/m-K 130 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
17 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
22 to 51 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
23 to 52 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
45 % relative
Density
8.9 g/cm3 560 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
4.1 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
64 MJ/kg 28 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
310 L/kg 37 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
47 to 90 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
64 to 2920 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
7.3 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
18 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
9.7 to 29 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
11 to 24 points
Thermal Diffusivity
64 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
11 to 33 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought copper alloys, the composition of C17465 copper is notable for including zirconium (Zr) and beryllium (Be). Zirconium is used to increase recrystallization temperature and to permit or facilitate certain forms of heat treatment. Beryllium is used to permit precipitation hardening (which increases strength) without much effect on electrical conductivity, but at the cost of substantial toxicity.
| Cu | 95.7 to 98.7 | |
| Ni | 1.0 to 1.4 | |
| Pb | 0.2 to 0.6 | |
| Be | 0.15 to 0.5 | |
| Zr | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Sn | 0 to 0.25 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Al | 0 to 0.2 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.5 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B441: Standard Specification for Copper-Cobalt-Beryllium, Copper-Nickel-Beryllium, and Copper-Nickel-Lead-Beryllium Rod and Bar (UNS Nos. C17500, C17510, and C17465)
Copper Alloys: Preparation, Properties and Applications, Michael Naboka and Jennifer Giordano (editors), 2013
ASM Specialty Handbook: Copper and Copper Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 2001