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Copper Rod
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Purity | Diameter | Length | Temper ⓘ | Other Variant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9% (3N) to 99.999% (5N) | 2mm to 20mm | 10mm to 2000mm | Hard As Drawn |
Oxygen-Free High Conductivity |
Need custom configurations? Please contact us.
Key Features
Copper Rod is available in purities from 99.9% (3N) to 99.999% (5N), covering the full range from general-purpose electrical and thermal applications through to the highest purity grades demanded by advanced research, vacuum electronics, and quantum device fabrication:
Purity Range 3N to 5N for Application-Specific Selection
The choice of purity grade is directly meaningful: 3N rod suits busbars, motor windings, earthing conductors, and structural electrical hardware where conductivity and formability are the primary requirements. Moving up to 4N and 4N5 reduces trace metallic impurities that would otherwise scatter electrons, compromise surface chemistry, or degrade bonding and joining quality. At 5N, residual impurity levels support quantum device interconnects, precision electrochemical reference electrodes, and surface science experiments where a well-characterised, ultra-low-impurity copper starting material is an experimental requirement.
Benchmark Electrical & Thermal Performance (1.69 µΩ·cm, 401 W/m·K)
Across all purity grades, Copper Rod delivers electrical resistivity of 1.69 µΩ·cm at 20 °C and thermal conductivity of 401 W/m·K — the benchmark figures for conductive metal performance — making it the standard choice for applications where minimising resistive losses and maximising heat dissipation are primary design requirements.
Mechanical Range from Soft to Hard-Drawn (224–314 MPa)
Tensile strength of 224 MPa in the soft condition rises to 314 MPa when hard-drawn, allowing Copper Rod to serve both precision-machined components requiring ductility and mechanically demanding applications requiring greater structural integrity — from the same material system across the full purity range.
Good Machinability & Ductility Across the Diameter Range
The face-centred cubic structure gives reliable machinability and ductility across the diameter range, making Copper Rod a convenient, machinable starting point for turned components, electrode blanks, contact substrates, and custom conductive hardware without specialist processing across all purity grades.
Defined Photoelectric & Nuclear Properties for Research
A photoelectric work function of ~4.5–4.6 eV (polycrystalline) and a thermal neutron absorption cross-section of 3.8 barns support the use of Copper Rod — particularly at 5N purity — in photonics and nuclear physics research where traceable, well-characterised stock with defined physical properties is required for reproducible experimental results.
Industrial Applications
Copper Rod is used across electrical engineering, power systems, advanced electronics, and research sectors where a machinable, well-characterised conductive rod in a defined purity grade is required:
- ✦ Busbars, Motor Windings & Earthing Conductors
- The 3N grade is used for busbars, motor windings, earthing conductors, and structural electrical hardware where electrical resistivity of 1.69 µΩ·cm and good formability are the primary requirements and the highest purity grades are not needed — providing a cost-effective, well-characterised conductive rod for general electrical engineering applications.
- ✦ Precision Electrode Blanks & Contact Substrates
- Machined into electrode blanks and contact substrates across the 4N and 4N5 purity range, where reduced trace metallic impurities improve surface chemistry, electrochemical consistency, and bonding quality compared to 3N grades — supporting reliable performance in sensitive electrochemical cells, precision contacts, and joining operations where impurity effects at interfaces matter.
- ✦ Quantum Device Interconnects & Precision Electrochemical Reference Electrodes
- At 5N purity, used for quantum device interconnects and precision electrochemical reference electrodes where residual impurity levels are low enough to meet the material requirements of quantum computing, quantum sensing, and high-accuracy electrochemical measurement — applications where trace impurities are experimental variables that must be controlled and traceable.
- ✦ SERS Substrate Preparation & Nanoparticle Synthesis
- The 5N grade serves as a reproducible ultra-low-impurity starting material for SERS substrate preparation and nanoparticle synthesis in materials science and nanotechnology research, where consistent rod purity ensures reproducible surface nanostructure formation and optical response characterisation across experimental programmes.
- ✦ Photonics & Nuclear Physics Research
- Applied in photonics and nuclear physics experimental work where a photoelectric work function of ~4.5–4.6 eV and a thermal neutron absorption cross-section of 3.8 barns are required material properties, and where traceable 5N purity provides the specification-controlled stock needed for reproducible results in physics experiments sensitive to residual impurity levels.
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 29 |
| Crystal structure | Face centred cubic |
| Electronic structure | Ar 3d¹⁰ 4s¹ |
| Valences shown | 1, 2 |
| Atomic weight( amu ) | 63.546 |
| Thermal neutron absorption cross-section( Barns ) | 3.8 |
| Photo-electric work function( eV ) | 4.5 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 65/ 30.8 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 63/ 69.2 |
| Atomic radius - Goldschmidt( nm ) | 0.128 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 4/ 55.2 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 6/ 103 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 1/ 7.73 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 5/ 79.9 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 3/ 36.8 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 2/ 20.29 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Material condition | Soft |
| Material condition | Hard |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.343 |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.343 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 137.8 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 137.8 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 129.8 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 129.8 |
| Izod toughness( J m⁻¹ ) | 68 |
| Izod toughness( J m⁻¹ ) | 58 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 87 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 49 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 314 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 224 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 270 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 54 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 1.69@20°C |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.0043@0-100°C |
| Thermal emf against Pt (cold 0C - hot 100C)( mV ) | 0.76 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Boiling point( C ) | 2567 |
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 8.96@20°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 1083 |
| Latent heat of evaporation( J g⁻¹ ) | 4796 |
| Latent heat of fusion( J g⁻¹ ) | 205 |
| Specific heat( J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ) | 385@25°C |
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 401@0-100°C |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 17@0-100°C |
Tolerances
| Diameter | =<10mm | ±10% |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | >10mm | ±5% |
| Length | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Length | >=100mm | +5 / -1% |