General Data > Metal Alloys
This page details some of the most common metal alloys. An alloy is a metal, blended with another metal or non-metal to give it special qualities such as resistance to corrosion, greater hardness, or tensile strength. The atoms in a metal are held together by the metallic bond. In a pure metal the atoms are all the same size and can slip over each other if a force is applied. In an alloy, the presence of different sized atoms can prevent such dislocations from weakening the metal.
| BASE METAL |
COMPONENTS |
ALLOY NAME |
| Aluminium |
lithium |
Al-Li |
| Aluminium |
copper |
Duralumin |
| Aluminium |
silicon |
Silumin |
| Aluminium |
magnesium |
Magnalium |
| Aluminium |
nickel, cobalt |
Alnico |
| Copper |
zinc |
Dutch metal |
| Copper |
zinc |
Brass |
| Copper |
tin, aluminium |
Bronze |
| Copper |
tin and phosphorus |
Phosphor bronze |
| Copper |
nickel |
Constantan |
| Copper |
tin, zinc |
Gunmetal |
| Copper |
nickel |
Cupronickel |
| Gold |
nickel, palladium |
White gold |
| Gold |
copper |
Rose gold |
| Iron |
carbon |
Steel |
| Iron |
chromium, nickel |
Stainless steel |
| Iron |
tungsten or manganese |
Tool steel |
| Iron |
carbon |
Pig iron |
| Iron |
carbon |
Cast iron |
| Iron |
nickel, cobalt |
Fernico |
| Lead |
tin |
Solder |
| Nickel |
chromium |
Chromel |
| Nickel |
chromium |
Nichrome |
| Nickel |
titanium |
Nitinol |
| Nickel |
aluminium, cobalt |
Alnico |
| Silver |
copper |
Sterling silver |
| Silver |
gold |
Electrum |
| Tin |
lead, copper |
Pewter |