Nickel Silver
Also: Alpaca, Argentan, Packfong, Maillechort, German Silver
Nickel silver is a silver-coloured copper-nickel-zinc alloy containing no silver whatsoever, which was historically used as a silver substitute because of its appearance.
Nickel silver – also known as alpaca or argentan – contains not a single gram of silver despite its name. It is a base metal alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc that has established itself as an affordable silver substitute in industry and craft due to its silvery lustre and good workability.
Composition and Properties
The exact formula varies depending on the manufacturer and application, but typically falls within these ranges:
| Component | Typical Share |
|---|---|
| Copper (Cu) | 45–70 % |
| Nickel (Ni) | 5–30 % |
| Zinc (Zn) | 10–35 % |
The result is a material with good corrosion resistance, high ductility, and a warm silvery sheen. Its density of approximately 8.5–8.8 g/cm³ is significantly lower than that of genuine silver (10.49 g/cm³), which enables simple differentiation via a coin authenticity check or density test.
Historical Background
The name derives from the Chinese "Packfong" (白铜, white copper), which reached Europe in the 18th century. European metallurgists copied the alloy and marketed it under various names – in France as Maillechort, in Germany as Argentan or Alpaka. The prefix "Neu-" (New) in German referred to the newly developed silver-like alternative.
Applications
Nickel silver is preferentially used for:
- Cutlery and flatware – often silver-plated (a coating of genuine silver), with the body made of nickel silver
- Musical instruments – brass wind instruments, flutes, clarinet keys
- Jewellery and accessories – affordable fashion jewellery items
- Electrical contacts and springs – owing to good spring hardness and conductivity
- Coins and medals – historic small coins of several countries
Distinction from Genuine Silver
Nickel silver is not a precious metal and has no independent metal value in the sense of the melt value calculator. Its market price is determined by its constituent parts – copper, nickel, and zinc – all of which are industrial metals. Silver-plated nickel silver cutlery does contain a thin genuine silver layer (identifiable by plating hallmarks such as "90" for 90 g of silver per 12 pieces), but its melt value is negligible.
Melt value of silver-plated cutlery ≈ gross weight × silver plating share × silver price/g
(Silver plating share often < 2% of total weight)
When buying scrap silver, dealers therefore check with a hallmark loupe, acid test, or X-ray fluorescence analysis whether the item is solid silver or silver-plated nickel silver.
In Brief
Nickel silver is a silver-free Cu-Ni-Zn alloy whose value is based on the copper price and industrial metal prices – not on the silver price. Anyone wishing to test cutlery or jewellery for genuine silver content should use a professional authenticity check.