---
title: "Silver — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Silver has a density of 10,490 kg/m³. Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/silver/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Silver

**Density of silver: 10,490 kg/m³**

10.49 g/cm³ · 654.9 lb/ft³

The best electrical and thermal conductor of any element, ahead of copper by only a few percent, and those few percent are almost never worth a hundred times the price — it wins only where the margin matters, as in solar cell gridlines and RF plating. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver with copper making up the rest, and it is the copper that tarnishes. Silver tarnish is silver sulfide from traces of sulfur in the air, not oxide, which is why it blackens faster near rubber bands and boiled eggs.

## Properties

- **Density:** 10,490 kg/m³ — 10.49 g/cm³
- **Melting point:** 961.8 °C
- **Tensile strength:** 140–190 MPa
- **Young's modulus:** 83 GPa
- **Thermal conductivity:** 429 W/(m·K)
- **Thermal expansion:** 18.9 µm/(m·K)
- **Floats in water:** No
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- Solar cell conductive paste
- High-current relay and switch contacts
- Brazing alloys
- Tableware, jewellery and mirrors

## 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
- silver: 10,490 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× |
| silver ← | 10,490 kg/m³ | 10.49× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |

## Does it rust?

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

## Is it magnetic?

Silver 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 silver?

10,490 kg/m³, or 10.49 g/cm³.

### Does silver float?

No. At 10,490 kg/m³ it is denser than water.

### Is silver magnetic?

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

## Sources

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