Aluminium Wire
Aluminium drawn into wire form, valued for its light weight and conductivity in overhead power transmission lines and electrical applications.
Covered in 2 MetalsCost.com News Intelligence articles, most recently on September 2, 2026.
Overview
Aluminium wire trades away some of copper's raw conductivity for a much better strength-to-weight and cost-to-weight profile, which is why it dominates overhead power lines rather than underground or in-building wiring. Electrical-grade aluminium wire is typically 1350-H19 alloy, at least 99.5% pure, with a conductivity around 61% of the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS) — meaning a wire needs roughly 1.6 times copper's cross-section to carry the same current.
Why Aluminium Over Copper
Despite its lower per-volume conductivity, aluminium wire ends up dramatically lighter than a copper conductor built to carry the same current, because aluminium is only about a third of copper's density. That weight saving matters enormously for overhead lines, where towers and spans are engineered around conductor weight and sag. Most high-voltage overhead conductors use ACSR construction — a central steel core for tensile strength, wrapped in stranded aluminium for conductivity — combining aluminium's light weight with steel's mechanical toughness over long spans.
Sources
- ACSR construction and aluminium wire conductivity standard — What is ACSR? The Definitive Guide to Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced Wire (2025)
Coverage
Quebec's Steel, Copper and Aluminium Exports Fell 36% as the US-Canada Trade War Bites
New BBC data shows Quebec's steel, copper and aluminium exports fell 36% over a year and Canada lost roughly 55,000 manufacturing jobs as the tariff dispute drags on, with 90,000 more jobs estimated at risk.
Canada Doubles Tariff on US Steel and Aluminum to 50% in Trade War Retaliation
Canada will double its tariff on US steel and aluminum to 50% from September 8, retaliating dollar-for-dollar against Trump's tariffs on roughly $20 billion of American goods.
