UNS C78200 Leaded Nickel Silver
C78200 nickel silver is a copper-nickel alloy formulated for primary forming into wrought products.
The properties of C78200 nickel silver include seven 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 C78200 nickel silver to: wrought copper-nickels (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
110 GPa 16 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
3.0 to 40 %
Poisson's Ratio
0.32
Rockwell B Hardness
65 to 90
Rockwell Superficial 30T Hardness
63 to 75
Shear Modulus
43 GPa 6.2 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
280 to 400 MPa 40 to 58 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
370 to 630 MPa 53 to 91 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
170 to 570 MPa 25 to 83 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
190 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
160 °C 320 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1000 °C 1830 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
970 °C 1780 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
390 J/kg-K 0.092 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
48 W/m-K 28 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
19 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
11 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
12 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
28 % relative
Density
8.4 g/cm3 520 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
3.3 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
52 MJ/kg 22 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
310 L/kg 37 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
18 to 120 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
130 to 1440 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
7.4 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
19 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
12 to 21 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
14 to 19 points
Thermal Diffusivity
15 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
12 to 21 points
Alloy Composition
Among wrought copper alloys, the composition of C78200 nickel silver is notable for including manganese (Mn) and containing a comparatively high amount of lead (Pb). Manganese is used to improve strength without a proportional reduction in ductility. Lead is used to improve machinability and bearing properties, at the cost of toxicity.
| Cu | 63 to 67 | |
| Zn | 20.2 to 28.5 | |
| Ni | 7.0 to 9.0 | |
| Pb | 1.5 to 2.5 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.35 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.5 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015