---
title: "Lead — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Lead has a density of 11,340 kg/m³. Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/lead/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Lead

**Density of lead: 11,340 kg/m³**

11.34 g/cm³ · 707.9 lb/ft³

Dense, soft and cheap, which is a rare combination and why it survives in shielding and ballast despite its toxicity. At 11,340 kg/m³ it is 44% denser than steel, so a lead brick the size of a house brick weighs about 25 kg. It creeps at room temperature — a lead sheet left vertical will slowly flow downwards over decades, which is why lead roofing is fixed in short bays rather than long runs.

## Properties

- **Density:** 11,340 kg/m³ — 11.34 g/cm³
- **Melting point:** 327.5 °C
- **Tensile strength:** 12–18 MPa
- **Young's modulus:** 16 GPa
- **Thermal conductivity:** 35.3 W/(m·K)
- **Thermal expansion:** 28.9 µm/(m·K)
- **Floats in water:** No
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- Radiation shielding in X-ray and nuclear work
- Lead-acid battery plates
- Roof flashing and valley gutters
- Diving weights, ballast and wheel weights

## 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
- lead: 11,340 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× |
| lead ← | 11,340 kg/m³ | 11.34× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |

## Does it rust?

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

## Is it magnetic?

Lead is not ferromagnetic. It is often assumed to be because it is a metal, but most metals are not — only iron, nickel, cobalt and a few alloys are attracted to an ordinary magnet.

## Common questions

### What is the density of lead?

11,340 kg/m³, or 11.34 g/cm³.

### Does lead float?

No. At 11,340 kg/m³ it is denser than water.

### Is lead magnetic?

Lead is not ferromagnetic. It is often assumed to be because it is a metal, but most metals are not — only iron, nickel, cobalt and a few alloys are attracted to an ordinary magnet.

## Related pages

- [Does lead float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/lead/)
- [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/)
- [Tungsten](https://atoneplace.net/material/tungsten/)
- [Silver](https://atoneplace.net/material/silver/)
- [Mercury](https://atoneplace.net/material/mercury/)

## Sources

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