The Density Of Metals

The density of metals ranges from Osmium at the highest density to lithium at the lowest density of any metal.

Knowing the periodic table is key for most scientists. But just merely knowing the name of each and every one of the elements is not enough.

There is a lot more information that scientists need to be au fait with. And density is one of them. So, what is the density of all metals?

What Is Density?

Before we go into the specific density for each of the metals in the periodic table, we need to understand what density actually is when we are talking about chemistry.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary online, density is defined as follows:

The mass of a substance per unit volume”, or “the distribution of a quantity (such as mass, electricity, or energy) per unit usually of space (such as length, area, or volume).

To put it in simpler terms, the density of an element (metal or not) is the measure of mass per unit of volume.” It is important to note that all elements have density but in this article, we will just focus on the densities of metals, specifically.

What Are Metals?

Metals are elements that are easily recognized by their physical properties of solidity and because they have what we logically think of as a “metallic” luster.

“Life should be like precious metals: weigh much in little bulk.” — Seneca

Although metals tend to be strong, tough, and ductile, it is also true that they are malleable. Their melting points are high. Another characteristic of metals is that they can conduct electricity and heat. This is known as electrical and thermal conductivity.

Metals are often divided into base metals and precious metals. The defining difference between both categories of metals is that base metals oxidize easily while precious metals do not quite so easily.

 ElementSymbolDensity g/cm3
OsmiumOs22.59
IridiumIr22.5
PlatinumPt21.5
RheniumRe20.8
NeptuniumNp20.2
PlutoniumPu19.7
GoldAu19.3
TungstenW19.3
UraniumU19.1
TantalumTa16.4
ProtactiniumPa15.4
MercuryHg13.53
HafniumHf13.3
RhodiumRh12.4
RutheniumRu12.1
PalladiumPd12
ThalliumTl11.8
ThoriumTh11.7
LeadPb11.3
TechnetiumTc11
SilverAg10.5
MolybdenumMo10.2
ActiniumAc10
LutetiumLu9.84
BismuthBi9.79
ThuliumTm9.32
PoloniumPo9.2
ErbiumEr9.07
CopperCu8.96
NickelNi8.9
CobaltCo8.86
HolmiumHo8.8
CadmiumCd8.69
NiobiumNb8.57
DysprosiumDy8.55
TerbiumTb8.23
GadoliniumGd7.9
IronFe7.87
SamariumSm7.52
IndiumIn7.31
ManganeseMn7.3
PromethiumPm7.26
TinSn7.26
ChromiumCr7.15
ZincZn7.14
NeodymiumNd7.01
YtterbiumYb6.9
CeriumCe6.77
PraseodymiumPr6.77
AntimonySb6.68
ZirconiumZr6.52
LanthanumLa6.15
VanadiumV6
GalliumGa5.91
EuropiumEu5.24
RadiumRa5
TitaniumTi4.51
YttriumY4.47
BariumBa3.62
ScandiumSc2.99
AluminumAl2.7
StrontiumSr2.64
CesiumCs1.93
BerylliumBe1.85
MagnesiumMg1.74
CalciumCa1.54
RubidiumRb1.53
SodiumNa0.97
PotassiumK0.89
LithiumLi0.53

What Are The Densities of These Metals?

There are 70 different metals charted in the periodic table. Here they are in alphabetical order:

  • Actium
    • The symbol for Actium is Ac and its density g/cm3 is 10.
  • Aluminum
    • The symbol for Aluminum is Al and its density g/cm3 is 2.70.
  • Antimony
    • The symbol for Antimony is Sb and its density g/cm3 is 6.68.
  • Barium
    • The symbol for Barium is Ba and its density g/cm3 is 3.62.
  • Beryllium
    • The symbol for Beryllium is Be and its density g/cm3 is 1.85.
  • Bismuth
    • The symbol for Bismuth is Bi and its density g/cm3 is 9.79.
  • Cadmium
    • The symbol for Cadmium is Cd and its density g/cm3 is 8.69.
  • Calcium
    • The symbol for Calcium is Ca and its density g/cm3 is 1.54.
  • Cerium
    • The symbol for Cerium is Ce and its density g/cm3 is 6.77.
  • Cesium
    • The symbol for Cesium is Ac and its density g/cm3 is 1.93.
  • Chromium
    • The symbol for Chromium is Cr and its density g/cm3 is 7.15.
  • Cobalt
    • The symbol for Cobalt is Co and its density g/cm3 is 8.86.
  • Copper
    • The symbol for Copper is Cu and its density g/cm3 is 8.96.
  • Dysprosium
    • The symbol for Dysprosium is Dy and its density g/cm3 is 8.55.
  • Erbium
    • The symbol for Erbium is Er and its density g/cm3 is 9.07.
  • Gadolinium
    • The symbol for Gadolinium is Gd and its density g/cm3 is 7.90.
  • Gallium
    • The symbol for Gallium is Ga and its density g/cm3 is 5.91.
  • Gold
    • The symbol for Gold is Au and its density g/cm3 is 19.3.
  • Hafnium
    • The symbol for Hafnium is Hf and its density g/cm3 is 13.3.
  • Holmium
    • The symbol for Holmium is Ho and its density g/cm3 is 8.80.
  • Indium
    • The symbol for Indium is In and its density g/cm3 is 7.31.
  • Iridium
    • The symbol for Iridium is Ir and its density g/cm3 is 22.5.
  • Iron
    • The symbol for Iron is Fe and its density g/cm3 is 7.87.
  • Lanthanum
    • The symbol for Lanthanum is La and its density g/cm3 is 6.15.
  • Lead
    • The symbol for Lead is Pb and its density g/cm3 is 11.3.
  • Lithium
    • The symbol for Lithium is Li and its density g/cm3 is 0.53.
  • Magnesium
    • The symbol of Magnesium is Mg and its density g/cm3 is 1.74.
  • Manganese
    • The symbol for Manganese is Mn and its density g/cm3 is 7.3.
  • Mercury
    • The symbol for Mercury is Hg and its density g/cm3 is 13.53.
  • Molybdenum
    • The symbol for Molybdenum is Mo and its density g/cm3 is 10.2.
  • Neodymium
    • The symbol for Neodymium is Nd and its density g/cm3 is 7.01.
  • Neptunium
    • The symbol for Neptunium is Np and its density g/cm3 is 20.2.
  • Nickel
    • The symbol for Nickel is Ni and its density g/cm3 is 8.90.
  • Niobium
    • The symbol for Niobium is Nb and its density g/cm3 is 8.57.
  • Osmium
    • The symbol for Osmium is Os and its density g/cm3 is 22.59.
  • Palladium
    • The symbol for Palladium is Pd and its density g/cm3 is 12.0.
  • Platinum
    • The symbol for Platinum is Pt and its density g/cm3 is 21.5.

“Platinum for me signifies everlasting love, which needs to be celebrated in the most special way.” — Ram Kapoor

  • Plutonium
    • The symbol for Plutonium is Pu and its density g/cm3 is 19.7.
  • Polonium
    • The symbol for Polonium is Po and its density g/cm3 is 9.20.
  • Potassium
    • The symbol for Potassium is K and its density g/cm3 is 0.89.
  • Praseodymium
    • The symbol for Praseodymium is Pr and its density g/cm3 is 6.77.
  • Promethium
    • The symbol for Promethium is Pm and its density g/cm3 is 7.26.
  • Protactinium
    • The symbol for Protactinium is Pa and its density g/cm3 is 15.4.
  • Radium
    • The symbol for Radium is Ra and its density g/cm3 is 5.
  • Rhenium
    • The symbol for Rhenium is Re and its density g/cm3 is 20.8.
  • Rhodium
    • The symbol for Rhodium is Rh and its density g/cm3 is 12.4.
  • Rubidium
    • The symbol for Rubidium is Rb and its density g/cm3 is 1.53.
  • Ruthenium
    • The symbol for Ruthenium is Ru and its density g/cm3 is 12.1.
  • Samarium
    • The symbol for Samarium is Sm and its density g/cm3 is 7.52.
  • Scandium
    • The symbol for Scandium is Sc and its density g/cm3 is 2.99.
  • Silver
    • The symbol for Silver is Ag and its density g/cm3 is 10.5.
  • Sodium
  • Strontium
    • The symbol for Strontium is Sr and its density g/cm3 is 2.64.
  • Tantalum
    • The symbol for Tantalum is Ta and its density g/cm3 is 16.4.
  • Technetium
    • The symbol for Technetium is Tc and its density g/cm3 is 11.
  • Terbium
    • The symbol for Terbium is Tb and its density g/cm3 is 8.23.
  • Thallium
    • The symbol for Thallium is Tl and its density g/cm3 is 11.8.
  • Thorium
    • The symbol for Thorium is Th and its density g/cm3 is 11.7.
  • Thulium
    • The symbol for Thulium is Tm and its density g/cm3 is 9.32.
  • Tin
    • The symbol for Tin is Sn and its density g/cm3 is 7.26.
  • Titanium
    • The symbol for Titanium is Ti and its density g/cm3 is 4.51.
  • Tungsten
    • The symbol for Tungsten is W and its density g/cm3 is 19.3.
  • Uranium
    • The symbol for Uranium is U and its density g/cm3 is 19.1.
  • Vanadium
    • The symbol for Vanadium is V and its density g/cm3 is 6.0.
  • Ytterbium
    • The symbol for Ytterbium is Yb and its density g/cm3 is 6.90.
  • Yttrium
  • Zinc
    • The symbol for Zinc is Zn and its density g/cm3 is 7.14.
  • Zirconium
    • The symbol for Zirconium is Zr and its density g/cm3 is 6.52.