Copper vs Silver
Copper and Silver are genuine alternatives to one another — a choice somebody actually makes — and differ on 6 measured properties, density most clearly.
Copper vs Silver
Copper
Cu
A soft, ductile metal with exceptional electrical conductivity, and one of the first metals humans worked.
Silver
Ag
The best electrical conductor of any element, used for almost everything except conducting electricity.
| Property | Copper | Silver |
|---|---|---|
| Atomic number | 29 | 47 higher |
| Density | 8.96 g/cm³ | 10.49 g/cm³ higher |
| Electrical conductivity | 59.6 MS/m | 63 MS/m higher |
| Melting point | 1084.62 °C higher | 960.6 °C |
| Mohs hardness Mohs hardness is an ordinal scale: values can be ranked, but differences and ratios between them are not meaningful. | about 3 higher | about 2.5 |
| Molar mass | 63.546 g/mol | 107.8682 g/mol higher |
| Thermal conductivity Only one of the two has a figure we can stand behind, so there is nothing to compare. | 401 W/(m·K) | Not known |
Choosing between them
Silver is recorded as a substitute for Copper — stronger.
What it gives up: Marginally the better conductor at roughly two orders of magnitude the price, so it is used as plating rather than as wire.
Partial substitute, on the evidence cited above.