Metals are strong, hard, and difficult to break. They are very good conductors of heat and electricity. Most metals are dense, silvery in color, and have high melting and boiling points. Metals are solids at room temperature, except for mercury which is liquid, and can be shaped through hammering while malleable or stretching thinly while ductile.

1. Properties of Metals
• This presentation
shows the main
properties of metals
and their meanings.

2. Strong and Hard
• Most metals are
generally strong and
hard.
• They are difficult to
break down into
smaller pieces and
changing their shape
usually involves a lot
of effort.

3. Conductors
• They are very good
conductors of heat and
electricity.
• This is why they are
used for pots and pans
and in electrical
circuits to carry the
current.

4. Dense
• Most metals have high
density.
• This is why they feel
heavy and sink when
placed in water.

5. Shiny and Silvery
• Most metals are
silvery in colour,
except copper and
gold.
• Some go dull over
time.
• All metals are shiny
when freshly cut.

6. High Melting and Boiling Points
• Most metals have very
high melting and
boiling points.
• They need to be
heated to very high
temperatures before
they melt to become
liquids.

7. Solids
• All metals are solids at
room temperature.
• The only exception is
mercury.
• Mercury is the only
liquid under normal
conditions.

8. Malleable
• This property means
that metals can be hit
without shattering.
• They can be
hammered into shape,
even when cold and
not break into lots of
small pieces.

9. Ductile
• This property means
that metals can
stretched very thinly
without them
breaking.
• This is why they can
be drawn out into
wires.

10. Sonorous
• This property refers to
the sound that metals
make when they are
hit.
• Metals make a ringing
sound when they are
struck.