Various types of Chilean coins made of copper alloys

Uses of Copper

Copper is part of the world around us. It is in our homes and offices, in our transportation means, in sophisticated as well as artisanal artifacts, in computers and industry, in small decorative objects and in huge monuments.

Also, copper wires and cables transport energy and information.

Its presence may go unnoticed, but it is there, used as a material that is resistant, durable, recyclable and with high electrical and thermal conductivity. These properties ensure its value as an essential raw material in the building of our civilization that started thousands of years ago.

The refined copper commercialized by Codelco is later transformed into raw material that supplies the industry that manufactures the products that society consumes.

The construction industry is one of the main consumers of copper, which is used in the wiring of buildings, in gas and water tubings, heating systems, roos, finishings, or as a structural component. A modern house requires some 200 Kg of copper, almost two fold what was required 40 years ago, since it has more bathrooms, electrical appliances, greater comfort, phones and computers.

Copper is key for the generation and distribution of electricity, since it is an excellent conductor of that type of energy. In telecommunications, it is the prime raw material in the manufacture of phone wires. In data transmission technologies, the new developments also position copper as an excellent option for broad band connectivity.

Among consumer articles, copper is very important in all those related to electricity. A computer may have more than 2 Kg of copper, starting with the tiny microprocessors that make it work, which more advanced models have copper as part of their structure.

Many manufacturers of electronic equipment use copper because it is more efficient in conducting electricity and it lasts longer than other materials.

Copper may be closer to us than we think, either pure or as part of alloys. It is present in coins, kitchen utensils, jewelry, art objects, furniture, make up and paints, musical instruments, clothes...

In transportation technology copper plays a very important role. It is present in cars, planes, ships and even in space vehicles. It is used in engines, electronic and electric systems.

A new car uses some 20 Kg of copper, two fold the 10 Kg that it used in the 70´s. The copper wires included in a luxury car measure more than 1.5 Km. And in the case of an airplane, this length reaches as much as 100 Km.

Some properties of copper, such as the fact that it is a good thermal conductor, strong, corrosion resistant and non-magnetic make it ideal for alloys used in the manufacture of specialized machinery and parts for industrial processes.

Copper is also used in compounds employed in agriculture, for instance to compensate nutritional deficiencies in soils and crop plants.

And in the future? Copper is compatible with the new technologies that are being developed and which will require an element that is reliable and efficient. After all we have already used it for 10,000 years.