Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color.Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver used in jewelry, cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins, and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement.Copper is one of the few metals that can occur in nature in a directly usable metallic form (native metals). This led to very early human use in several regions, from c. 8000 BC. Thousands of years later, it was the first metal to be smelted from sulfide ores, c. 5000 BC; the first metal to be cast into a shape in a mold, c. 4000 BC; and the first metal to be purposely alloyed with another metal, tin, to create bronze, c. 3500 BC.
Copper plates are divided into thin steel plates <4 mm (the thinnest is 0.2 mm), medium and thick steel plates 4~60 mm, and extra thick steel plates 60~115 mm according to thickness. Steel plates are divided into hot rolling and cold rolling according to rolling. The width of thin plates is 500~1500 mm; the width of thick plates is 600~3000 mm. Thin plates are divided into ordinary steel, high-quality steel, alloy steel, spring steel, stainless steel, tool steel, heat-resistant steel, bearing steel, silicon steel and industrial pure iron thin plates according to steel types; according to professional uses, there are plates for oil drums, enamel plates, etc.; according to surface coatings, there are galvanized thin plates, tinned thin plates, lead-plated thin plates, plastic composite steel plates, etc.