Lead

What it is
Externally, lead is a rather inconspicuous, grey metal that melts already at 327.5° C. Its boiling point is 1,740° C. The density of lead is 11.342 g/cm³. Physically, lead is one of the softest metals with high ductility and low elasticity.

Where it is found
In nature, lead usually occurs in combination with other metals with the most frequent combination being lead and zinc. Therefore these two metals are colloquially called “sister metals”.

What it is used for
By far the biggest users of lead are the companies making batteries for vehicles of all kinds, but lead is also used for other industrial purposes and special applications, such as emergency power supply systems or equipment for the storage of electric current produced by solar energy installations. Moreover, lead is used by the construction industry, the glass industry, in the chemical sector and in cable production.

How it is traded
Lead is traded mostly in the form of ingots which, depending on the producer, have a weight between 25 and 50 kg each. The degree of purity of refined lead standardized in DIN EN 12659 ranges from Pb 99.94 to Pb 99.99 %. Beyond that, lead is also still made according to DIN EN 12548 / DIN 17640, Part 2, for alloys with additions such as antimony, tellurium and copper.