Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Types of Metal

ALUMINUM
Advantages
- The most abundant metal in the Earth's crust
- Soft, durable, lightweight, ductile and malleable metal
- Acts as a good thermal and electrical conductor and is also fairly corrosion resistant
- Theoretically 100% recyclable without any loss of its natural qualities and remarkably nontoxic
Disadvantages
- Not particularly strong
- Expensive compared to steel of the same strength

BRONZE
Advantages
- An alloy consisting mainly of copper but the addition of other metals (usually tin) produces an
alloy much harder than plain copper
- Resists corrosion and metal fatigue better, and conducts heat and electricity, better than most
steels
Disadvantages
- Softer, weaker and more expensive than steel

CARBON STEEL
Advantages
- Low carbon steels are malleable and ductile
- Medium carbon steels balance ductility and strength with good wear resistance
- High carbon steels are exceptionally strong
- Ultra high carbon steels can be tempered to great hardness
Disadvantages
- Low-carbon steels suffer from yield-point runout and mild steel has a relatively low tensile
strength.

NICKEL
Advantages
- Hard, ductile and considered corrosion-resistant because of its slow rate of oxidation at room
temperature
- Boasts a high melting point and is magnetic at room temperature
Disadvantages
- Handling nickel can result in symptoms of dermatitis among sensitized individuals.

TITANIUM
Advantages
- It is corrosion resistant and has the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metallic element.
- Unalloyed it's as strong as some steels but less dense.
- Its relatively high melting point (more than 1,650 °C or 3,000 °F) makes it useful as a refractory
metal.
- It is also paramagnetic and displays fairly low electrical and thermal conductivity.
Disadvantages
- Costly and laborious processes are needed to extract titanium from its various ores.