When shopping for copper or stainless steel sheeting, and flexibility is an issue, here’s a tip to help you understand and compare the thickness and flexibility of these metals. The thickness of metal sheeting is listed in decimals. Metal sheeting with the thickness of .010, compared to our American system of fractions, would measure to less than 1/64 inch.
Now, let’s go one step further and give you a comparison of the flexibility of the metal that you can relate to an item in your everyday life. If you may have a Blockbuster membership card or a Bonus rewards card, copper sheeting with a .010 thickness will have the same flexibility as either of these cards.
Keep in mind that these two cards are thinner than a standard credit card which is less flexible. A standard credit card measures .028. This compares closely to .0216 copper foil, but the foil is slightly stiffer. Some other measurements that are convenient comparisons to everyday items are listed below.
Penny .05
Dime .062
Nickle .07
Quarter .067
Half dollar .085
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In the world of business you don’t get to the top by hoping something good will happen. It takes hard work, dedication and a lot of faithful employees that represent their company well. Storm Copper is proud of their employees, and share this exciting news with them because they’re the ones that made it happen.
By Dan Kitts
Selecting the right type of copper for any application requires an understanding of some rather technical terms like: alloy, temper, hardness, gauge and finish. Don’t be put off by the number of terms. When taken one at a time they’re not that difficult to understand. So please, stick with me through this brief article and you will have a greater understanding of copper and have the confidence to purchase for any application.
Alloy
Copper Sheet, foil, bar, rod and tube is available in many different alloys. These different alloys give certain physical properties to copper it doesn’t usually have, but those new properties often bring new limitations as well. What makes the alloy discussion a little easier is that 99% of the copper sold in the United States is represented by the three alloys listed below.
C11000
Most of the copper sold today in the United States is alloy C11000, also known as Electrolytic-Tough-Pitch. Plain and simply, C11000 is 99.9% pure copper. It makes an excellent electrical conductor, an equipment ground bar, a fine looking kick plate on your front door, does a great job as a back splash in your kitchen, makes a very classy looking rain gutter and adorns some of the finest looking roofs in the world.
C12200
Copper used for tube and pipe is usually alloy C12200. You get this alloy by adding a very small amount of phosphorus to pure copper. This makes the copper easier to weld and braze. Unfortunately, it also makes the copper considerably less conductive. Generally speaking, you rarely see this alloy being used for electrical applications, but if you need to weld or braze, this alloy is your best option.
C14500
If you’re going to turn or machine copper, C14500 is your alloy. When copper is alloyed with a small amount of tellurium it greatly improves the ability of copper to “make chips”. Pure copper (alloy C11000) tends to be “gummy” (I apologize for using such a technical term) when machining. This gumminess means you have to slow the machining process down quite a bit. Pure copper is also hard on machine tools, which adds to the expense of machining. C14500 is not quite as conductive as pure copper, but it is relatively close.
An interesting fact about copper alloys; if you add a little zinc to the metal – you get brass.
Temper
Basically, the Temper of a metal refers to its hardness. The two extremes of Temper are denoted as “hard” and “soft”. While the Copper Development Association has installed a numbering convention H01(soft) to H04(hard), most people in the industry simply refer to the degree of hardness. “Hey, I’ll take some ‘quarter-hard’ copper sheet,” is really all you have to say to your local copper mill* to call out the Temper.
So, why does anybody even worry about Temper? To a large degree, the hardness of the metal determines the application. If you were to make a beautiful pot rack out of soft Temper copper bars and chose to hang your grandmother’s favorite cast iron frying pan on your new creation, the weight of the frying pan could well deform the rack. Bottom line, if your copper project involves supporting any kind of weight, stick to harder Tempers.
On the other hand, if you are interested in making a copper etching or simply forming the copper by hand, you would be much better off with a softer Temper. Softer Tempers are also easier to cut as well. For decorative and craft applications that do not require supporting much weight, soft Temper should be your choice.
One final point about Temper, because of the end use of the product, copper bar is generally available only in the harder Tempers and copper sheet in softer Tempers. This has to do with how the two different forms of the metal are most commonly used.
Gauge, Oz. and Inches
Calling out the gauge of the metal is another way of saying the thickness. It is important to keep in mind that with gauge, the larger the number the thinner the material. 30 gauge copper sheet is much thinner than 16 gauge. To make matters even more confusing, the roofing industry measures copper thickness in ounces per square foot! 16 oz copper sheet is a very common size of roofing copper. Use this cross reference table to help you convert gauge to inches to ounces.
Finish
If you have ever walked in the lower level of a fancy department store and happened to see the gorgeous copper pots hanging in the kitchen department, you have seen an unnatural copper finish. Unless copper is treated with a synthetic lacquer, it will not have that deep mirror-like finish. Also, if that lacquer finish should ever crack (even a very small one) and air reaches the copper, it will discolor fairly rapidly.
Generally, the finish of copper bar and sheet will provide a dull reflection. Occasionally, the metal will also have a slight waviness to it, although it will be very smooth. Over time the metal will darken with exposure to air. The oxygen in the air is actually corroding the metal. Over a number of years a greenish patina will form on the metal. Most people find the character gained by copper through this corrosion process to be quite attractive. As a matter of fact, you can actually purchase copper that has been treated with chemicals which greatly accelerates the corrosion process. If you want that greenish finish on that copper bay window roof right away, not a problem, chemical engineering has provided the product for you. If you would prefer more of a grayish patina, that’s available as well.
Congratulations, you now know the important factors in specifying Copper Sheet, foil, bar, rod and tubing. Good luck with your project!
*I am being sarcastic about your local copper mill. There are only two full line copper mills in the US. If you want to go direct to the source, bring your check book. The minimum order is at least 5,000 lbs.
By Frank Ross
You don’t have to be directly impacted by criminals stealing copper to experience the financial fallout. As a consumer who pays for electricity or buys a new home, you’ll eventually be the recipient of trickle down affect of theft because all expenses of any business go into the price of the product they produce.
When a thief steals copper from a house under construction, the cost of replacing that wiring has to go back into the cost of the houses that are being produced. It may not happen immediately, because of contracts that are in place, but somewhere down the line it will have to be picked up or the builder will be out of business.
Power companies share the same reality. Recently thieves stole 5,000 feet of copper wire from a construction project in San Antonio, Texas. Officials estimate it will cost CPS Energy nearly $120,000 to replace the stolen wire and repair the damage. The benefit to the thieves would be a pittance of this cost, but they are not concerned about you, your family or in reality anything but the immediate benefit of their ill-gotten gains.
Deputies note that it is now illegal for salvage yards to buy telephone copper wire, so thieves are targeting electrical wire. All across the nation copper theft was a problem, last summer, until the price of copper dropped dramatically. Now that the price of copper is rising again, it makes the metal more attractive to steal.
The aspect of this crime that is most remarkable is the boldness of the criminals, or perhaps it is their stupidity. During another recent theft, criminals cut out several 20-foot lengths of heavy copper cable from a substation, while the wires were fully charged and thousands of volts were passing through them.
While these thieves were incredibly lucky this time, there have been numerous individuals that have not been so lucky, and their charred bodies did not require prosecution.
Certainly thieves willing submit themselves to this danger, but if you’re in the electricity industry, you can reduce the impact of thieves by having your copper bus bars and grounding bars stamped with your company name, and Do Not Recycle. This service is provided by <a href=”http://stormgrounding.com”>Stormgrounding.com</a>. If you’re not in a position to impact thieves in this manner, you can certainly be a diligent citizen and report suspicious activity in the area of constructions sites and electrical substations where these crimes most often occur. You don’t have to get involved physically, just call 911 and report what you’ve seen. It could have a direct impact on your personal finances and where you are able to set the thermostat for heating or cooling.
For all the details, read: <a href=”http://www.kens5.com/news/Copper-crooks-could-soon-raise-your-CPS-Energy-bills-70337782.html” target=”_blank”> Copper crooks could soon raise your CPS Energy bills</a>
<a href=”http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Police-Arrest-Man-in-Theft-of-High-Voltage-Wires/1H234uvzMU-oh3Ngh06wgw.cspx” target=”_blank”>Police Arrest Man in Theft of High Voltage Wires</a>
<a href=”http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/080508dnmetmanstuck.13568f6d.html” target=”_blank”>Suspected copper thief severely burned on Dallas utility pole dies</a>
<a href=”http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-09-26-copper-theft_x.htm” target=”_blank”>Copper thieves get killed cutting into power lines</a>
<a href=”http://www.wyff4.com/news/9484796/detail.html” target=”_blank”>Man Electrocuted At Duke Energy Substation </a>
By Frank Ross
“Properly grounded” is a term that gets tossed around a lot in electronics conversations, but assumptions on the part of both parties in these discussions can contribute to costly mistakes. For most, the need for a detailed explanation eventually becomes obvious. Ham radio enthusiasts often raise the question of grounding, perhaps prompted by the knowledge that they are often holding onto a microphone cord that is ultimately connected to an electrically charged system and a very tall metal antenna.
The questions most often asked are:
Just what does it mean to be properly grounded?
What makes one ground proper and another improper?
And the most critical question is; what components need to be grounded properly?
For many ham radio enthusiasts, a complete understanding of the proper grounding procedures of a radio station was the last thing on their mind when they un-boxed their new receiver/transmitter and started to set up a ham station. Although it doesn’t have to be a complicated process, there are two critical steps to grounding a ham radio station that will insure your personal safety, the safety of your equipment as well as your home and improved performance of your radio. Maintaining your personal safety and that of your equipment should be a high priority when dealing in ham radio installations. The other aspect of grounding relates to performance, since grounding can affect signal efficiency as well as the clarity of messages that you send and receive.
Types of Radio Grounding
There are two aspects of safety and grounding to consider; RF Grounding and Surge Protection. Although there is no total protection against a direct lightning strike, a grounded system is always best.
Radio Frequency (RF) Grounding is a completely different concept in grounding, compared to surge grounding. A radio frequency is an Alternating Current (AC) signal and it has impedance. An RF ground wire is nothing more than a short antenna. An effective RF ground needs to be no less than a quarter wave-length at the highest frequency used. Ham Radio connections should be made with as few strands as possible and preferably a bare solid wire. This is very important, RF performs best on smooth surfaces, therefore, it is not recommended to use braided cable for RF connections.
Storm's Ham Radio grounding kit w/call letter engraving.
All radios, tuners, meters, etc in a radio system should be grounded in a star ground configuration. The common point should be located at the tuner, if one is used, otherwise use a copper ground bus bar and make all connections on the bar. All Connections to radios should be with either insulated or bare wire with as few strands as possible. Now you need to connect your internal ground run directly to the ground outside where you should have a ground rod driven into the soil for the connection point. This rod will in turn be connected to all your other ground rods if you set up a system of grounding rods. Using numerous ground rod connections with solid, smooth wire or copper sheeting will provide the best grounding. Although copper is the best choice, aluminum can be used above ground; however, you should never use it below ground because aluminum is very susceptible to corrosive elements in the dirt. A ground wire can vary in size from (#4 up to 4/0). Run bare copper between the separate ground rods to form a ground system. Bare copper wire provides added surface contact area for the ground system. It should be laid underground between connecting rods.
Tip: Draw a detailed map of the buried cable runs to avoid hitting or digging up the system in the future. For maximum affect this run must be less than nine feet. Be sure to properly research what size material you need based on your equipment grounding needs.
Surge Grounding protects against an unexpected surge in electricity. This is often times caused by a lightning strike. When lightning strikes a power line some distance away, the massive jolt of electricity will cause a surge or electronic shock wave to travel down the wires to your home and potentially all electrical components inside its walls. Since lightning strikes cannot be predicted, it is imperative that you ground your equipment properly when you first install your equipment. If you take the “install now, ground later” approach, an untimely storm could take your ham radio ambitions back to the starting line.
Storm's Ham Radio grounding kit
An additional benefit to a proper surge ground is protection from static build-up, which can sometimes zap the user or harm equipment. A surge, or safety ground, should have enough surface area contacting the earth to dissipate the surges safely.
Lightning can be a frequent and unwelcome visitor to tall towers. The height of these structures often require a large-area ground with low impedance in addition to a wide, smooth copper flashing or heavy gauge solid wire surrounding critical areas. These critical areas would include a work area or equipment area near the base of the tower. Tall towers need a ground which will spread an electrical charge out over a wide area, rapidly and evenly. The goal is to prevent the voltage in objects near a structure from rising significantly faster than other objects located near the tower. When lightning strikes, very high currents can flow between objects near a tower, therefore, it is important to provide a low-impedance path for these currents.
Lightning grounds should always provide a common low impedance path between everything conductive entering a building. This means power lines, telephone lines, TV antennas, and metallic conduits or pipes should all share a common ground connection buss that has very low impedance. Normally the lowest impedance connection is provided by a wide smooth surface copper flashing, although very heavy round copper can be used. Round copper has lower RF resistance per unit length for a given surface area, but flat wide copper has less reactance and lower overall impedance. This is because fewer magnetic flux lines encircle any given area of wide strip than enclose the surface area of a compact conductor. In effect the magnetic field is “spread out”, reducing inductance.
You can order the Ham Radio Grounding Kit, or the Ham Radio Grounding Kit with Call Letters engraving online at Stormcopperstore.com, or contact our customer service staff at 888-334-2177.
Kits include one .25" thick grounding bar 6" wide of solid cold-drawn copper (110 Electrolytic Tough-Pitch). Standoff Insulators: A Mounting Brackets: B 3/8"-16 x 5/8" Stainless Hex Bolts: C Stainless Spring-Lock Washers: D
While attending the recent National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) conference, Storm representatives kept getting comments from tower installation professionals, stating they had a serious need for grounding bars with expanded capacity, which could accommodate more cable terminations.
One of the things that Storm Copper prides itself on is the ability to respond to special needs or requests from customers. Very shortly after the conference, Storm introduced a new grounding bar and optional kit that is well on its way to raising the industry standard from what has been historically a 4” bar.
Like the smaller 4” version, these UL-listed 6″ solid cold-drawn copper ground bars divert maximum current associated with lightning strikes common to communication towers and antenna installations, but they have a one major advantage – a significant expansion in available connection space for an increased number of cable attachments. The .25” x 6” x 12” version of this product has a hole configuration that provides 12 – .41″ drilled holes, EIA spaced at 1.5″ and
6 – Slotted Holes, affording greater space for attaching multiple cables with compression lugs. An additional safety feature is that the additional size also increases spacing from the outside edge to 2”, instead of the standard 1-3/4”. This additional margin of safety serves to further isolate connections from accidental contact when service personnel are working on promises.
Storm 6” grounding bars are available in lengths of 12”, 16” and 18”, or custom orders of any size can be accommodated with a quick turnaround time.
Kits are also available, which makes it more convenient for ordering all the necessary components at one time. For example, a kit includes .25″ x 6 ” x 12″ Solid Copper Ground Bar with 2 – UL recognized standoff insulators; 2 – Stainless Mounting Brackets; 4 – Stainless 5/8 – 1 x 1 hex bolts and spring-lock washers. Kits for larger sizes include additional components proportionate to length.
Storm maintains a huge inventory of standard components, but special configurations are not a problem. Storm uses a computerized flexible tooling system designed to reduce set up and production time on special orders and that’s huge according to owner, Dan Kitts. “Our products usually ship in 24 hours, compared to three to eight weeks that are the industry norm. That’s obviously a significant advantage for time critical installations,” he said.
If you haven’t visited the Storm Grounding Web site you’re in for a pleasant surprise. All products are arranged conveniently for a minimum of clicks required to order and the pricing is structured so contractors and journeymen electricians can save money and pass on those savings to their customers to build loyalty and return contracts. With Storm Copper Components, you can expect the best quality products at very competitive prices, exceptionally fast shipping times, free UPS shipping and a satisfaction guaranteed policy that is second to none.
Check out Stormgrounding.com and see what I’m talking about!
Storm's optional security stamping is a deterrent to theft.
While protecting cable is a bit more challenging, Storm Copper, a nationwide leader in the manufacture of copper electrical components offers a service that can provide a strong deterrent to theft of other copper components such as ground bars.
Storm offers a stamping service that will imprint your company name, logo, phone number, or a Do Not Recycle message into each ground bar. Thieves will think twice before they spend time dismantling and stealing components that could get them arrested when they try to sell them.
Another deterrent to copper theft is a tinning option that Storm provides. Tin plating conceals the identity of valuable copper components without diminishing its effectiveness, and in the case of outdoor service, prevents corrosion which can degrade a grounding connection. Tin also makes the bars worthless for recycling.
You might also want to consider security bolts. These bolts require a special tool for removal, which makes it difficult, if not impossible for them to be removed by a wrench or pair of pliers. This after-market option is available through Storm Copper Components.
Check out these options at stormgrounding.com, or call their Electrical Contractor’s Hotline at 1-866-716-9773.
With the price of copper on the increase, and the ever present nature of thieves, a business in Altamonte Springs, Florida has experienced huge losses of copper cable. Since July, six thefts have been reported. To date, the firm’s losses have been 8,000 feet of cable valued at over $9,000. Fortunately, for the business owners, not the thieves, a security camera that was installed in an ideal location produced an image of the copper culprit. Police are hopeful that someone who sees the picture will recognize the thief and call them with information.
To see the photo or watch the video report, use this link to WESH news.
In support of an earlier post, where I stated that men are more likely to be struck by lightning, especially golfers, I offer the following.
On the 25th of October, a golfer who was enjoying his weekly round of golf with friends at the Tanah Merah Country Club near Singapore got an unexpected handicap as he neared the end of an 18-hole game. Soh Lye Huat, who owns a garment company, was struck by lightning and transported to the local hospital in a coma. 
The country club manager, Roy Higgs, had noticed the skies were turning a little dark and begun the process of checking with Meteorological Services to determine if a warning should be issued when the 57-year-old was hit.
While your chances of having an up close and personal experiencing with a bolt of lightning are not that great, with approximately 16 million thunderstorms around the globe each year there is plenty of opportunity, especially if you’re a golfer.
Take cover at the first sign of a storm cloud forming and you’ll live to enjoy another round.
Read the full story on the Malaysian Insider.
By Frank Ross
If you are here because you have questions about protecting your home or business from lightning strikes, and are wondering if it is a good investment, consider that damage to electrical components and appliances is only one aspect of the dangers of lightning. Fire caused by lightning is far more devastating, and the resulting costs far more extensive.
In a study period that spanned from 2002 to 2005, only 16% of reported lightning fires occurred in homes; however, these fires accounted for nearly all the associated civilian deaths, 90% of the associated injuries, and 58% of the direct property damage.
During this same period, fire departments in the U.S. responded to an estimated annual average of 31,400 fires caused by lightning strikes. In human terms, on an annual basis, that is an average of 12 civilian deaths and 57 civilian injuries. On the financial side, these fires resulted in direct property damage totaling $213 million.
Attraction or protection
A commonly held misconception is that lightning rods attract lightning. In fact, a lightning protection system simply intercepts a lightning strike and channels its damaging voltage down a low-resistance cable and into the ground where it can be discharged harmlessly.
Another common misconception is that having a grounding rod to your electrical panel protects you from lightning. This grounding rod is strictly for the safety of your homes electrical wiring system, and offers absolutely no protection from lightning. Also, having a TV antenna that is grounded not only doesn’t offer protection, it can allow dangerous high voltage to enter the home through its wiring or directly through the stand-off clamps that secure it to your home.
Surge protection vs. lightning protection
Some people think they have protected their valuable computers and home entertainment centers by purchasing a surge suppressor or APC. These devices serve an important purpose in handling the daily variations in the public power supply that is provided to your home, but they are virtually worthless in the case of a direct lightning strike to your home. In fact, you’ll have to replace these devices as well as the components you thought you were protecting, should your home suffer a direct hit.
Most people aren’t aware of the many fluctuations in public power sources, but if you’re paying attention, you’ll often see lights dim in your home for a second or two. These surges are caused by a number of events in the distribution system, and the resulting temporary drop, followed by an equal or higher increase can cause extensive damage to electrical components. Good surge protection is a must, but it is no substitute for a lightning protection system.
"Thru-Roof" Concealed Base Assembly includes one 15" stem, watertight neoprene washer, nailing bracket and cable connector, with a stem adjustment screw for exact mounting of threaded Solid Shank Air Terminal.
Properly designed and professionally installed lightning protection systems have been proven to completely protect structures from the devastating effects of a direct lightning strike. A properly designed system takes into consideration a home or office building’s design, construction, soil condition, surrounding environmental elements such as water or tall trees and of course the electrical components inside. A lightning protection system can be concealed within the roof and walls, making it very unobtrusive. While an installation is easiest and least expensive during new construction, it can still be very affordable as a retrofit.
When you compare the costs of a lightning protection system to the majority of home improvements, lightning protection is one of the least expensive upgrades you can add to your home. It provides peace of mind and proven protection for your family, home and valuables.
Copper offers the best conductive qualities for electrical components. View Storm’s excellent line of grounding products.
