Three stainless steel water bottles in a line. They are black, green and orange from left to right. This is meant to display steel's corrosion resistance to water.
By Dan Markham General Information • • • 0 Comments

What’s The Most Vital Metal Characteristic?

Do you know how much of your everyday life is influenced by the properties of different metals? Take a look around the room that you’re in. There are likely several objects, appliances, and devices that all use metal characteristics to function. It’s safe to say that society wouldn’t run anywhere near as efficiently if metals didn’t have these traits! With so many different traits that our Earth’s metals can have, which one is the most important for everyday life? It’s not an easy question to answer; we unpack it below!

Conductivity

If you still have your holiday lights up, go and take a closer look at them. This also works if you have an electronic home appliance. If you take it apart and look closely, you’ll realize that the wires connecting and powering everything are made out of copper. Metals that have great conductivity of heat and electricity are paramount to how well our household objects function. Telephone lines and power lines also take advantage of this metal characteristic. Much of the technology and cookware that we use today relies on metal conductivity.

Corrosion Resistance

No two metals that have good resistance to corrosion are the same. Why is this the case? It’s because it depends on what element that the metal best resists corrosion from! Metals can do well against water, heat, electricity and cold. Metals like these are important for seacraft and aircraft parts, making them a vital component of transportation as we know it. Corrosion resistance is also important for marine and interstellar research, meaning we wouldn’t know everything we know without it!

Strength

Metals are definitely known for being strong, but the strongest and most durable metals are important for a variety of applications. For example, aluminum is commonly used to construct window frames. Thanks to its strength and durability, windows with aluminum frames do a better job of providing insulation to your home. The strength of steel makes it a viable option for use in automobile and aircraft parts. Sometimes, these vehicles can be hit with insane force; the strength of their material prevents the worst damage to the valuables inside.

What’s The Answer?

So, what is the most important metal characteristic? It depends on who you ask! All of these strengths are what make our society as well-functioning as it is today. If you need metal shaped and formed for your next application, bring it to Markham Metals! We specialize in a variety of metalworking services that prepare them for use in the most important aspects of life. To get started, click here to request a quote!

A closeup of a red and white ball as Christmas tree ornaments on a Christmas tree.
By Dan Markham General Information • • • 0 Comments

Holiday Applications for Metals

With how versatile and unique the properties of metals are, they lead the way for use in a wide variety of applications. Some metals are used for the plumbing in your home, while others are used for military aircraft and deep-sea submarines. Using metal in our everyday lives has become a necessity at this point! Even during the holidays, there are plenty of related applications that you can use metals in. But, what are the best holiday items for metal use? We give you some examples below!

Copper

If you live in a suburban area, take a moment at night and drive around your neighborhood. What do you see? You’ll likely see multiple front yards decked out with a plethora of Christmas lights and inflatable decorations. The holiday lights that you see around town are all possible with the power of copper! Christmas lights and other lights use copper as a main component due to its unparalleled ability to conduct electricity. You can thank copper for your front yard displays!

Aluminum

While the applications for aluminum are a little tinier than copper, their importance is just as great. The holiday applications that aluminum can be utilized for are a little more miscellaneous. For example, aluminum can be used as the structure and hook that keeps your Christmas ornaments on the tree. They can also be used for things like holiday cookie sheets and cookie molds. If you’ve ever baked for the holidays or decorated a tree, you’ve used aluminum before!

Iron

Believe it or not, iron also has its own uses during the holiday season. Are you one of the families that used a real tree this Christmas? If so, you’ve definitely used iron before. This is because iron is a common component of many Christmas tree stands, which work to help keep your tree upright. Iron can also be used for decorative items like potted plants, Christmas ornaments, and even the star on top of your tree. Regardless of what kind of tree you have, there’s a good chance that iron was utilized at some point on it!

Metalworking at Markham Metals

At Markham Metals, we specialize in a number of metalworking services to help bend, form, cut and shape metal into the desired specifications you need. We also carry our own in-line stock of metal sheets that are ready for whatever you need them for. If you have a metal application you’d like to use, contact us today and we’ll help you get the perfect results!