Beryllium Copper

Berylco beryllium copper alloys are high-performance materials composed primarily of copper with a small addition of beryllium. They are available in a wide range of forms, including strip, rod, wire, and plate.

Our Beryllium Copper Products

Recycling Your Beryllium Copper Scrap

We accept your beryllium copper production scrap, provided it is sorted by alloy type and free from contamination (such as machining fluids or other residues). We also take back unused material from your stock.

Feel free to contact us for a buyback offer!

Recovered material is melted down and processed into new Berylco alloy products with identical chemical composition. By participating in this circular process, you actively support environmental sustainability — recycling requires significantly less energy than primary metal extraction — and contribute to the responsible use of strategic resources such as copper and beryllium.

It’s good for the planet — and your bottom line.

Why Choose Beryllium Copper

In beryllium copper alloys, the addition of up to 2% beryllium significantly enhances the mechanical properties of copper without compromising its thermal or electrical conductivity.

Beryllium is the only alloying element capable of dramatically increasing the strength of copper — from 200 MPa for electrolytic copper to over 1500 MPa for CuBe2 — while maintaining excellent conductivity, typically ranging from 20% to 70% IACS.

Beryllium also improves copper’s fatigue and corrosion resistance, while adding valuable non-magnetic and non-sparking properties.

Among the more than 200 types of copper alloys, beryllium copper offers the best combination of mechanical strength and electrical conductivity.

Lower-Cost Copper Alternatives

While alternative copper alloys may offer lower raw material costs, no other chemical element provides the same unique combination of properties as beryllium. Extensive research into substitute alloys has shown that no alternative matches the performance levels of beryllium copper.

In certain non-critical applications, such as welding electrodes, a substitute may be considered. However, for high-performance or safety-critical applications, uncontrolled substitution can lead to reduced technical performance, equipment failure, and significant reliability and safety risks — commonly referred to as “regrettable substitution.”

The properties delivered by copper-beryllium alloys are unmatched by any other material. This has been confirmed by numerous studies, including those conducted by the European Commission.

Contrary to misleading claims made by some actors in the copper alloys market, beryllium copper is not replaceable by any material offering equivalent properties. Furthermore, following recent evaluations, beryllium copper is not subject to any regulatory restrictions.

For more information, please refer to our Product Compliance section or contact us directly.

High Mechanical Strength and Electrical Conductivity

A Unique Combination of Mechanical and Electrical Properties

To achieve specific performance characteristics, Berylco alloys contain between 0.4% and 2% beryllium, along with 0.2% to 2.7% of additional alloying elements such as nickel, cobalt, iron, aluminum, or lead. Their high mechanical strength is obtained through heat treatment.

The beryllium copper alloys processed by NGK Berylco France offer a uniquely broad range of mechanical and electrical property combinations not found in any other copper-based alloys. After heat treatment, they deliver the highest mechanical strength achievable within the copper alloy family, while maintaining electrical conductivity levels that surpass those of bronzes.

Beryllium copper is widely used as contact spring material in a variety of applications, including connectors, switches, relays, and more. NGK offers a wide selection of beryllium copper alloys designed to meet the demands of highly specific applications.

Our alloys combine a unique set of properties that make them ideally suited to meet the rigorous requirements of many industries, including automotive, oil & gas, watchmaking, telecommunications, electronics, and aerospace.

The adjacent graph clearly demonstrates the superior combination of mechanical strength and electrical conductivity offered by Berylco beryllium copper alloys (in red) compared to numerous non-beryllium copper alloys (in grey).

Legends:
Copper – Pure copper
Brass – Copper-zinc alloy
PBS – Phosphor Bronze (copper-tin-phosphorus alloy)
SUS – Stainless Steel

Berylco alloys offer a unique processing advantage: parts can first be easily shaped—even the most delicate ones—through machining or forming, and then strengthened through a simple, low-temperature heat treatment to achieve the required mechanical properties.

Beryllium copper is the most flexible and versatile copper-based alloy system, combining multiple performance attributes in a single material.

  • Typically, spring-temper materials are difficult to form or cut.
  • Beryllium copper offers excellent formability along with outstanding spring properties.
  • B25 alloy, after heat treatment, enables the production of complex shapes with very high mechanical strength.

The Best Combination of Properties Among Copper Alloys

Berylco beryllium copper alloys offer a uniquely wide range of mechanical, electrical, and formability characteristics unmatched by any other copper alloy system. After heat treatment, they achieve the highest mechanical strength available in copper alloys, while maintaining electrical conductivity levels superior to those of bronzes.

Berylco alloys are essential, versatile materials that combine multiple performance advantages in a single alloy.

Unmatched and Exclusive Benefits:

High Mechanical Strength and Elastic Modulus

  • Beryllium copper alloys can reach extremely high mechanical properties after heat treatment — with tensile strengths up to 1500 N/mm² and hardness values as high as 450 Vickers.
  • Their exceptional strength allows for the design of lighter and more compact components that can withstand high bending stresses when used as spring materials.

High Electrical Conductivity

  • Beryllium copper offers a wide range of electrical conductivity, from 22% to 70% IACS depending on the alloy and temper. It is widely used as a high-performance spring material for applications requiring high current-carrying capacity.

Formability

  • Beryllium copper can be formed into complex shapes in the annealed or cold-worked condition.
  • After forming, maximum mechanical properties are achieved through heat treatment.
  • Among the mill-hardened Berylco alloys, ‘Type-B’ and ‘Type-S’ offer the best balance between mechanical strength and formability.

High Fatigue Strength

  • Beryllium copper exhibits excellent resistance to reverse bending fatigue, up to 300 MPa. It is widely used in applications where other alloys fail to deliver the same level of reliability.

Corrosion, Wear, and Abrasion Resistance

  • Beryllium copper offers outstanding corrosion resistance, comparable to that of nickel silver.
  • It also provides excellent wear and abrasion resistance.

Non-Magnetic and Non-Sparking

  • Beryllium copper is non-magnetic and non-sparking, making it ideal for sensitive or hazardous environments.

Resistance to Extreme Temperatures and Stress Relaxation

  • Beryllium copper can be used across a wide temperature range with minimal loss of mechanical properties — particularly at low cryogenic temperatures, but also at elevated temperatures beyond the limits typically acceptable for standard copper alloys.

These properties make Berylco alloys essential and ideal materials for the production of a wide variety of high-precision components, now used across numerous industries.

Contrary to common belief, this exceptional combination of properties in a single material often makes beryllium copper alloys the most cost-effective choice.

Beryllium copper allows engineers to apply unique design approaches where other materials simply won’t perform.

Whatever the application or end use, there’s a Berylco alloy that fits your needs.

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