UNS C81500 Chromium Copper
C81500 copper is a lightly alloyed grade of copper, formulated for casting. Cited properties are appropriate for the heat treated (HT) condition. It has the highest melting temperature among cast coppers. In addition, it has a very high ductility and a moderately high tensile strength.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare C81500 copper to: cast coppers (top), all copper alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
110
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
120 GPa 17 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
17 %
Poisson's Ratio
0.34
Shear Modulus
44 GPa 6.3 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
350 MPa 51 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
280 MPa 40 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
210 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
200 °C 390 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1090 °C 1990 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1080 °C 1970 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
390 J/kg-K 0.092 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
320 W/m-K 180 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
17 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
82 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
83 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
31 % relative
Density
8.9 g/cm3 560 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
2.6 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
41 MJ/kg 18 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
310 L/kg 37 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
56 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
330 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
7.3 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
18 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
11 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
12 points
Thermal Diffusivity
91 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
12 points
Alloy Composition
Among cast copper alloys, the composition of C81500 copper is notable for including chromium (Cr). Chromium additions permits certain types of heat treatment to improve mechanical strength.
| Cu | 97.4 to 99.6 | |
| Cr | 0.4 to 1.5 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Al | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Sn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Pb | 0 to 0.020 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.5 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASM Specialty Handbook: Copper and Copper Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 2001
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015