When you want to calculate part weight, shipping cost, or even estimate how much material your order for a casting or bar stock is going to use, there is one thing that you must know first. This article provides you with everything you need pure copper density, calculation of density, densities in different units, and copper alloys density chart, which includes brass, bronze, cupronickel, and beryllium copper density charts. Aashish Metals offers copper alloys such as copper nickel, phosphor bronze, gunmetal, and beryllium copper in round bar, sheet, strip, and tubing forms. Calculations for density are frequently used by our customers who estimate their part weight or convert from metric units to imperial units in order to get a quote.
What Is the Density of Copper?
The room temperature (20°C / 68°F) density of pure copper is 8.96 g/cm³. Commercial copper has a density of 8.90 to 9.00 g/cm³ depending on the degree of purity and the processing. Copper is a heavy metal because of its high density. One will find that the density of copper is higher than that of structural metals such as steel and aluminum, and this should be kept in mind when comparing weights of components made using the material.
Density of Copper Across Different Units
Unit | Value | System |
g/cm³ (grams per cubic centimeter) | 8.96 | Metric |
g/mL (grams per milliliter) | 8.96 | Metric |
kg/m³ (kilograms per cubic meter) | 8,960 | Metric |
kg/cm³ (kilograms per cubic centimeter) | 0.00896 | Metric |
g/mm³ (grams per cubic millimeter) | 0.00896 | Metric |
kg/mm³ (kilograms per cubic millimeter) | 0.00000896 | Metric |
lb/in³ (pounds per cubic inch) | 0.323 | Imperial |
lb/ft³ (pounds per cubic foot) | 559 | Imperial |
Density Chart for Common Copper Alloys
Copper Alloy | Typical Composition | Density (g/cm³) | Density (kg/m³) | Density (lb/in³) |
Yellow Brass | 60% Cu, 40% Zn | 8.4 – 8.6 | 8,400 – 8,600 | 0.303 – 0.311 |
Cartridge Brass | 70% Cu, 30% Zn | 8.5 | 8,500 | 0.308 |
Muntz Metal | 60% Cu, 40% Zn | 8.5 | 8,500 | 0.308 |
Phosphor Bronze | 90–95% Cu, 5–10% Sn + P | 8.8 – 8.9 | 8,800 – 8,900 | 0.318 – 0.321 |
Aluminum Bronze | Cu + Al and others | 7.6 – 8.4 | 7,600 – 8,400 | 0.274 – 0.305 |
Copper-Nickel (Cupronickel) | 70–90% Cu, 10–30% Ni | 8.9 – 9.0 | 8,900 – 9,000 | 0.321 – 0.324 |
Silicon Bronze | Cu + Si and others | 8.5 – 8.7 | 8,500 – 8,700 | 0.308 – 0.314 |
Beryllium Copper | Cu + 0.5–3% Be | 8.25 – 8.4 | 8,250 – 8,400 | 0.298 – 0.305 |
Density of Copper by Grade (UNS Designations)
For anyone specifying material by exact grade rather than general alloy family, here’s how density breaks down across the most commonly used copper and copper alloy UNS designations.
Alloy Category | UNS Grade | Main Elements | Density (g/cm³) | Density (kg/m³) | Typical Use |
Pure Copper | C10100 (OFHC) | Cu ≥ 99.99% | 8.94 | 8,940 | Semiconductors, vacuum systems |
Pure Copper | C10200 (OF) | Cu ≥ 99.95% | 8.94 | 8,940 | Electrical conductors |
Pure Copper | C11000 (ETP) | Cu ≥ 99.9% | 8.96 | 8,960 | Electrical wiring, busbars, shims |
Pure Copper | C12200 (DHP) | Cu–P | 8.93 | 8,930 | Plumbing, heat exchangers |
Brass | C26000 | Cu–Zn | 8.53 | 8,530 | Deep drawing parts |
Brass | C36000 | Cu–Zn–Pb | 8.49 | 8,490 | CNC machined fittings |
Tin Bronze | C52100 | Cu–Sn–P | 8.88 | 8,880 | Bearings, bushings |
Aluminum Bronze | C95400 | Cu–Al–Fe | 7.45 | 7,450 | Heavy-duty gears |
Copper-Nickel | C70600 (90-10) | Cu–Ni | 8.94 | 8,940 | Heat exchangers, marine piping |
Copper-Nickel | C71500 (70-30) | Cu–Ni | 8.95 | 8,950 | Seawater piping |
Beryllium Copper | C17200 | Cu–Be | 8.25 | 8,250 | High-strength tooling, springs |
How Copper’s Density Compares to Other Metals
Density becomes especially useful when you’re weighing copper against alternative materials for a design. Here’s how copper and its alloys stack up against other common engineering metals.
Material | Density (g/cm³) | Density (kg/m³) |
Copper & Copper Alloys | 7.45 – 8.96 | 7,450 – 8,960 |
Aluminum & Aluminum Alloys | 2.66 – 2.88 | 2,660 – 2,880 |
Carbon Steel | 7.75 – 7.85 | 7,750 – 7,850 |
Stainless Steel | 7.70 – 8.10 | 7,700 – 8,100 |
Titanium | 4.43 – 4.51 | 4,430 – 4,510 |
Nickel | 8.88 – 8.90 | 8,880 – 8,900 |
Zinc | 7.13 – 7.14 | 7,130 – 7,140 |
Lead | 11.30 – 11.34 | 11,300 – 11,340 |
Sourcing Copper Alloys from Aashish Metals
Aashish Metals supplies a wide range of copper-based alloys for industrial applications, including copper nickel 90/10 and 70/30 in pipes, tubes, fittings, and round bar through our copper nickel products line, phosphor bronze round bar, gunmetal in round and hollow bar, and beryllium copper C17200 in strip, coil, and round bar formats. We also stock copper shims in grades C11000 and C10200 for precision alignment and spacing applications, alongside brass shims for lighter-duty use.
If you’re deciding between copper alloy families for a specific application, our comparison guide on brass vs bronze and our breakdown of beryllium copper versus other copper alloys both go into how these materials compare beyond density, covering strength, corrosion resistance, and cost. Reach out to our team for material test certificates and grade-specific density data on any of our copper alloy products.
Why Copper’s Density Matters
The density is not some number on a datasheet. Has real, practical consequences:
Weight estimation
To accurately quote a part, the amount of material the part will use must be known, and the density is the multiplier that converts volume to weight.
Shipping and handling
Copper is dense which makes the components heavier than might be expected based on their size, impacting freight costs, packaging and support during transport and installation.
Material substitution decisions
For most applications, when engineers are comparing the density of copper with that of other metals such as aluminum or steel, they are also comparing numbers along with conductivity, strength and cost.
Alloy selection
When using a particular alloy (for example, changing the standard bronze to aluminium bronze), the alloying elements will alter the density, which will affect not only the mechanical properties of the component, but also its finished weight.
Conclusion:
Density is one of the fundamental parameters of copper and its value is 8.96 grams per cubic centimeter. It may prove helpful for finding the weight of the component, evaluating materials or translating the specification sheet to another unit system. After adding alloying elements such as zinc, tin, nickel or beryllium, the number is subject to change, sometimes dramatically; so it is important to know the value of the particular alloy and grade you are using, rather than relying on the value of pure copper. Aashish Metals offers copper nickel, phosphor bronze, gunmetal and beryllium copper in various grades and forms and provides complete material documentation to ensure weight and density confirmation. For technical information for your next order please reach out to our team for information by grade.
FAQs
The density of pure copper is 8,960 kg/m³ at room temperature, which is the metric SI unit most commonly used outside the US.
Pure copper has a density of 8.96 g/cm³, the most commonly cited value in materials references and datasheets.
No. Alloying elements change density depending on their own atomic weight. Zinc and beryllium tend to lower density slightly, while nickel keeps density close to or above that of pure copper.
Copper atoms are heavier and pack more tightly than aluminum atoms, giving copper roughly three times the density of aluminum even though both are common engineering metals.
Multiply the part’s volume by copper’s density. For example, a part with a volume of 100 cm³ made from pure copper would weigh approximately 896 grams (100 cm³ × 8.96 g/cm³).
