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Copper Tube
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Wall Thickness | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Length | Temper Options | Other Variants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1mm to 3.25mm | 0.05mm to 18.9mm | 0.25mm to 25.4mm | 10mm to 2000mm | As Drawn | Oxygen-Free High Conductivity |
Need custom configurations? Please contact us.
Key Features
Copper Tube at 99.9% purity (3N) is a reliable, versatile hollow copper section combining the benchmark electrical and thermal performance of copper with a tube geometry suited to carrying fluid, gas, or vacuum through a thermally and electrically active wall:
Benchmark Electrical & Thermal Performance (1.69 µΩ·cm, 401 W/m·K)
With electrical resistivity of 1.69 µΩ·cm and thermal conductivity of 401 W/m·K, Copper Tube delivers the benchmark conductor performance of copper in a hollow section — suited to heat exchanger tubing, cooling circuits, electrical conduit, and fluid lines where maximising heat dissipation and minimising resistive losses are primary requirements.
Mechanical Range from Soft to Hard-Drawn (224–314 MPa)
With tensile strength of 224 MPa in the soft condition rising to 314 MPa when hard-drawn, Copper Tube provides consistent mechanical integrity across the range of wall thicknesses and diameters suited to general industrial and technical applications — allowing grade selection between ductile forming stock and higher-strength tubing from the same material system.
Excellent Ductility for Bending, Swaging & Flaring
The face-centred cubic structure gives excellent ductility in the soft condition, allowing tight-radius bending, swaging, and flaring without cracking — making Copper Tube straightforward to route, form, and connect in complex assemblies including laboratory plumbing, refrigeration systems, and prototype scientific apparatus.
Good Corrosion Resistance & Antimicrobial Activity
Good corrosion resistance in atmospheric, water, and many chemical environments, combined with well-documented contact-killing activity against bacteria and viruses, extends Copper Tube's utility across both engineering and process applications where material durability and surface hygiene are both relevant performance criteria.
Versatile 3N Grade for General Industrial & Technical Applications
The 3N grade suits the broad range of applications where copper's intrinsic conductivity, formability, and corrosion resistance are the primary requirements and the ultra-low oxygen content of OFHC grades is not specifically needed — providing a cost-effective, well-characterised hollow copper section for general industrial, laboratory, and prototype use.
Industrial Applications
Copper Tube at 3N purity is used across heat transfer, electrical, refrigeration, laboratory, and prototype applications where copper's conductivity, formability, and corrosion resistance are the primary requirements:
- ✦ Heat Exchanger Tubing
- Used as heat exchanger tubing in industrial and laboratory equipment, where thermal conductivity of 401 W/m·K ensures efficient heat transfer between process streams and the tube wall, and good corrosion resistance in water and many chemical environments supports long service life in heat exchange applications.
- ✦ Cooling Circuits & Fluid Lines
- Employed in cooling circuits and fluid lines in laboratory and industrial equipment, where excellent ductility allows tight-radius bending and flaring for compact routing in constrained assemblies, and the benchmark thermal conductivity of copper supports efficient heat removal from the components being cooled.
- ✦ Electrical Conduit & Shielding
- Applied as electrical conduit and shielding in technical equipment, where electrical resistivity of 1.69 µΩ·cm provides low-resistance current paths and the tube geometry allows cables and conductors to be routed through a protective copper conduit that also provides electromagnetic shielding.
- ✦ Refrigeration System Components
- Used in refrigeration system components where ductility in the soft condition supports the bending, swaging, and flaring operations required during installation, and good corrosion resistance in refrigerant environments ensures reliable long-term service life in both commercial and laboratory refrigeration systems.
- ✦ Prototype Plumbing in Scientific Apparatus & Research
- Used in prototype plumbing for scientific apparatus and research, where Copper Tube provides a reproducible, well-characterised conductive conduit for thermal testing, fluid flow experiments, and prototype assembly work — wherever copper's conductivity, formability, and corrosion resistance are the primary requirements and OFHC-grade oxygen content is not specifically needed.
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
| Outside Diameter | =<2mm | ±0.05mm |
|---|---|---|
| Outside Diameter | 2mm - 5mm | ±0.1mm |
| Outside Diameter | >5mm | ±5% |
| Wall Thickness | ±10% | |
| Length | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Length | >=100mm | +5% / -1% |