---
title: "Chromium — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Chromium has a density of 7,190 kg/m³. Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/chromium/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Chromium

**Density of chromium: 7,190 kg/m³**

7.19 g/cm³ · 448.9 lb/ft³

The hardest pure metal on the Mohs scale at about 8.5, harder than hardened steel, which is why hard chrome plating is the standard wear surface on hydraulic cylinder rods. It is what makes stainless steel stainless: above roughly 10.5% chromium the steel grows a self-repairing chromium oxide film a few nanometres thick, and scratching it simply grows it back. Bulk chromium is too brittle to use structurally, so it is nearly always an alloying element or a coating.

## Properties

- **Density:** 7,190 kg/m³ — 7.19 g/cm³
- **Melting point:** 1,907 °C
- **Tensile strength:** 250–300 MPa
- **Young's modulus:** 279 GPa
- **Thermal conductivity:** 93.9 W/(m·K)
- **Hardness:** 8.5 Mohs
- **Thermal expansion:** 4.9 µm/(m·K)
- **Floats in water:** No
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- The corrosion-resisting element in all stainless steel
- Hard chrome plating on hydraulic rods and moulds
- Decorative plating on trim and fittings
- Refractory bricks and green pigments

## How it compares

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.*

- air: 1.2 kg/m³
- expanded polystyrene foam: 20 kg/m³
- rigid polyurethane foam: 40 kg/m³
- Water — the float line: 1,000 kg/m³
- chromium: 7,190 kg/m³
- tungsten: 19,250 kg/m³
- gold: 19,300 kg/m³
- platinum: 21,450 kg/m³

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| Material | Density | Relative to water |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| chromium ← | 7,190 kg/m³ | 7.19× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |

## Does it rust?

Chromium does not rust — rust is iron oxide specifically — but it does corrode, forming its own oxide or salts over time.

## Is it magnetic?

Chromium is not ferromagnetic. Most metals are not.

## Common questions

### What is the density of chromium?

7,190 kg/m³, or 7.19 g/cm³.

### Does chromium float?

No. At 7,190 kg/m³ it is denser than water.

### Is chromium magnetic?

Chromium is not ferromagnetic. Most metals are not.

## Related pages

- [Does chromium float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/chromium/)
- [Aluminum](https://atoneplace.net/material/aluminum/)
- [Copper](https://atoneplace.net/material/copper/)
- [Gold](https://atoneplace.net/material/gold/)
- [Titanium](https://atoneplace.net/material/titanium/)
- [Iron](https://atoneplace.net/material/iron/)
- [Lead](https://atoneplace.net/material/lead/)
- [Tungsten](https://atoneplace.net/material/tungsten/)
- [Silver](https://atoneplace.net/material/silver/)

## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]