CP wire, also known as tinned copper-clad steel wire, is a low-carbon steel core coated with layers of copper, tin, or a tin-based alloy. It is a new type of composite wire.

CP Wire Production Status

CP wire has emerged in recent years as a new alternative to pure copper wire, driven by rising nonferrous metal prices. It is currently widely produced and used in the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and coastal regions with developed electronics industries. However, in some high-end products with stringent conductivity requirements, tinned copper-clad steel wire cannot fully meet these requirements, and tinned copper wire is still used.

CP Wire Features

1. Low Price: Currently, the price of commonly used CP wire is only 1/2 to 1/3 of that of pure copper wire.

2. High Strength and Toughness of Steel: Tinned copper-clad copper wire has high rigidity and is easy to cut and shape, making it suitable for assembly processes and automated production. It has a tensile strength twice that of ordinary tinned copper wire and a low coefficient of expansion.

3. Lightweight: 13% lighter than tinned copper wire. For wires of equal diameter and weight, its length is 1.13 times that of tinned copper wire.

4. Excellent solderability: Wires remain solderable even after aging in steam for 4 hours and at 150°C for 16 hours.

5. Smooth appearance: Free of exposed copper, tin stripping, black spots, rust, cracks, tin bumps, or burrs, it looks identical to ordinary tinned copper wire.

6. Excellent high-frequency performance. At high frequencies, the clustering effect increases with frequency, making the wire's conductivity comparable to pure copper wire of the same cross-section.

CP wire combines the high conductivity and magnetic permeability of copper wire with the high strength and bendability of steel wire and the thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance of tin. It also exhibits a certain degree of oxidation resistance at high temperatures. Furthermore, due to its superior strength and weldability, it is resistant to bending, has strong solder joints, and is 3-6 times more vibration-resistant than pure copper wire, making it suitable for automated operation. Therefore, it is widely used in leads and jumpers of electronic components, core wires of radio frequency cables, and has become an ideal conductor in the communications, electronics, and power industries.