Drawing No. EH–MT–010 // Engineering Materials
Copper Properties
Reviewed August 2026
C11000 ETP copper is the common high-conductivity copper reference. Its thermal and electrical conductivity are exceptional, while mechanical strength depends strongly on temper and cold work.
Representative properties
Switch units without changing the underlying material reference.
What changes these properties?
Engineering variability
- Annealed copper is soft and ductile; cold-worked tempers raise yield and tensile strength substantially.
- The displayed Poisson ratio is derived from the CDA room-temperature Young’s and shear moduli.
- Thermal conductivity is strongly temperature- and purity-dependent.
- C11000 melts over a narrow solidus–liquidus range rather than at one exact temperature.
Selection note
Excellent for electrical conductors, heat exchangers, busbars and thermal spreaders. Mass, cost, softness and galvanic interactions may govern in structural applications.
Do not combine strength from one grade/condition with modulus, thermal data or temperature limits from another without checking compatibility. Where the overview shows a range, it is intended to expose variability—not establish allowable bounds.
Property interpretation
Stiffness vs strength
Young’s modulus controls elastic deformation. Yield or fracture strength controls how far the material can be stressed. These are separate material characteristics.
Thermal response
Thermal conductivity controls temperature gradients, specific heat contributes to thermal inertia, and expansion controls thermally induced strain when movement is restrained.
Temperature transition
The final property card is deliberately labeled “melting / transition.” Metals often have a solidus–liquidus range; amorphous polymers and glass use softening or glass-transition concepts; concrete and wood decompose instead of exhibiting one clean melt point.
Technical sources
Source hierarchy favors manufacturers, industry associations, standards bodies and government engineering references. Strength data must still be reconciled with the exact procurement specification.