No. Copper, and alloys based on copper, are non-magnetic - unlike ferromagnetic metals such as iron, copper is diamagnetic. It weakly repels a magnetic field rather than being attracted to it, and loses that response the instant the field is removed. This comes from the way copper's electrons bond into a shared cloud rather than forming free-spinning magnetic dipoles.
Magnetism in metals comes from an uneven distribution of electrons within the atomic structure, where electrons can flow between shells and spin to create magnetic dipoles; copper's single valence electron instead pairs into a shared bonding cloud, which is what makes it diamagnetic.
This matters for Hiduron® 130, a high-strength copper-nickel alloy. Like all cupronickels, Hiduron® 130 is used in subsea applications such as connectors and couplings, as well as valve trim and seawater piping. As a copper-based alloy it resists fouling and galling, which suits applications that sit inactive for long periods and then have to operate without sticking. Avoiding the influence of magnetic coupling supports that kind of use.
Understanding magnetic values
With a sufficiently strong magnetic field, all matter becomes magnetic - the pull is strong enough that the usual electron conditions are not needed for dipoles to form. Away from such extremes, metals fall into three groups.
| Type | Behaviour | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Ferromagnetic | Strongly attracted to magnets, even without an external field | Iron, cobalt, nickel |
| Paramagnetic | Weakly attracted to magnets; loses the effect once the field is removed | Platinum, aluminium, uranium |
| Diamagnetic | Repels magnetic fields; loses the effect once the field is removed | Copper, bismuth, lead |
Magnetism and electricity
Magnetism and electricity are two aspects of the same electromagnetic force. A moving electric current generates a magnetic field, and when a magnet moves near copper or another metal it sets up electrical eddy currents.