Tinned Copper VS. Bare Copper

Copper offers great conductivity and is fairly resistant to corrosion. These facts coupled with its durability make it ideal for electrical applications. That is why copper wires are most commonly used in electrical work.

Tinned copper, also called tin coated copper or tin plated copper (TPC), is a type of copper coated with a thin layer of tin by electroplating. The coated tin can strengthen the copper's natural properties, which will give it a longer shelf life.

Wires should always be durable and should have high conductivity to ensure proper flow of electricity. Bare copper is fairly resistant to corrosion, when it is used in wet environments or places with high temperature or high humidity, copper will corrode and weaken much faster. You probably have seen copper when it is oxidized, it turns green. It is a chemical reaction of the copper surface with the oxygen in the air that causes copper to corrode, or oxidize, and form the respective copper oxide on the surface. And then the copper becomes far less efficient at moving electricity through itself.

Tinned copper is better equipped to resist humidity, high temperatures and wet environments. Using tinned copper is an easy and effective way of preventing a copper conductor from tarnishing or becoming oxidized to protect the copper from corrosion that would decrease the wire's efficiency in humid or rainy climates, higt-heat environments and in certain types of soil.

Tinned copper wire is just as conductive as bare copper wire, but the thin layer of tin helps the wire resist corrosion and makes the wire more resistant to water. Thinned copper wire can last up to 10 times longer than its non-tinned counterpart.

Despite the many benefits of tinned wire, it is not always the right wire for the job. Tinned copper wire is more expensive than its non-tinned counterpart and can cost as much as 30 percent more than basic bare copper wire. In environments where acidic soil, high heat or high humidity are not concerns for a project, non-tinned copper wire works just as well.

Remarks:

1. For heating cable (element):

1-1. The solid earth wire, stranded earth wire, multiple thin earth wire or the earth braid of all our heating cables (heating elements) is made of tinned copper.

1-2. The butt splices, in the cable joint for the connection of heating cable and cold tail, are made of tinned copper.

2. For the cold tail of twin condcutor heating cable/mat:

2-1. For 3-wire round cold tail or 3-wire flat cold tail, If not specified, the 3 wires (live, neutral and earth) are made of bare copper. But we can supply such cold tail with tinned copper wires if requested.

2-2. For 2-wire with earth braid oval cold tail, if not specified, the 2 wires (live and neutral) are made of bare copper, and the earth braid is made of tinned copper. But we can supply such cold tail with both tinned copper wires and tinned copper braid.

3. For the 2 x cold tail of single conductor heating cable/mat:

3-1. For 2-wire flat cold tail, if not specified, the 4 wires (live, earth, neutral and earth) are made of bare copper. But we can supply such cold tail with tinned copper wires if requested.

3-2. For 1-wire with earth braid cold tail, if not specified, the 2 wires (live and neutral) are made of bare copper, and the earth braid is made of tinned copper. But we can supply such cold tail with both tinned copper wires and tinned copper braid.