Nickel Silver
Also: Alpaca, Argentan, Packfong, Maillechort, German silver
Nickel silver is a silver-coloured copper-nickel-zinc alloy containing no silver at all, historically used as a silver substitute because of its appearance.
Nickel silver — also known as alpaca or argentan — contains, despite its name, not a gram of silver. It is a base-metal alloy of copper, nickel and zinc that, thanks to its silvery lustre and good workability, has established itself as an inexpensive silver substitute in industry and craftwork.
Composition and properties
The exact recipe varies by manufacturer and area of 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 silver lustre. Its density, at around 8.5–8.8 g/cm³, is well below that of real silver (10.49 g/cm³), which allows easy differentiation via a coin authenticity test or density measurement.
Historical origin
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 German-speaking countries as Argentan or Alpaca. The prefix "new" (Neu-) referred to the newly developed, silver-like alternative.
Uses
Nickel silver is preferentially used for:
- Cutlery and tableware – often silver-plated (a coating of real silver), with a body of nickel silver
- Musical instruments – brass wind instruments, flutes, clarinet keys
- Jewellery and accessories – inexpensive costume jewellery items
- Electrical contacts and springs – for good spring hardness and conductivity
- Coins and medals – historical small circulation coins of several countries
Distinction from real 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 based on its components copper, nickel and zinc — all industrial metals. Silver-plated nickel silver cutlery does contain a thin layer of real silver (recognisable by coating stamps such as "90" for 90 g of silver per 12 pieces), but its melt value is low.
Melt value of 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 it 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 check cutlery or jewellery for real silver content should use a professional authenticity test.