Precious Metal Silver 925
also Sterling Silver, STG
Silver 925 (sterling silver) is a 92.5 % Ag – 7.5 % Cu alloy, the standard wrought precious-metal alloy for jewellery, flatware, decorative hardware and some high-reliability electrical contacts and brazing preforms.
Reference datasheet — Silver 925 is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Values for the O condition
Silver 925 tempers and conditions
Silver 925 is supplied in 5 conditions, soft to hard. O is the default FabDigit quotes; the values on this page are for it.
Compare all 5 conditionsHide
| Condition · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness | Conductivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ODefault Annealed | Default stock condition for sheet, wire and tube that will be formed, raised, bent or drawn. | 75 | 280 | 40 | 58 HB | 85 % IACS |
As fabricated | Condition of investment-cast jewellery and hollowware straight from the flask, before work hardening or age hardening. | 95 | 230 | 18 | 62 HB | 82 % IACS |
Half hard | Pick for wire, findings and bezels that must hold shape yet still take a moderate bend. | 260 | 380 | 12 | 95 HB | 83 % IACS |
hard / spring temper (≥50 % reduction) | Use for springs, clasps, pin stems and wear-facing parts where maximum strength and stiffness retention matter. | 375 | 450 | 4 | 118 HB | 82 % IACS |
Pre-hardened | Choose when a formed or cast sterling part must be hardened after shaping (spring clips, hinge pins, cutlery handles). | 400 | 470 | 6 | 132 HB | 86 % IACS |
What is Silver 925?
Silver 925 (sterling silver) is a 92.5 % Ag – 7.5 % Cu alloy, the standard wrought precious-metal alloy for jewellery, flatware, decorative hardware and some high-reliability electrical contacts and brazing preforms. The copper addition raises strength and hardness far above fine silver while keeping near-silver colour, exceptional polishability and the highest thermal/electrical conductivity of any commercial alloy family. Main limitations are sulfide tarnishing in air, firescale (Cu oxide) during torch work, low strength unless cold worked or age hardened, and cost driven entirely by the silver spot price. Silver 925 has a density of 10.36 g/cm³ (0.374 lb/in³), heavier than 50% of precious metal grades. It melts at 779°C (1,434 °F). Silver 925 has a yield strength of 75 MPa (10.9 ksi) and a tensile strength of 280 MPa (40.6 ksi) — weaker than 89% of precious metal grades. Elongation at break is 40% and the elastic modulus is 76 GPa (11 Msi).
What is Silver 925 used for?
- Jewelry
- Tableware
- Coin minting
Advantages
- Conducts heat well — 360 W/m·K (208 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 94% of precious metal grades
- Ductile — tolerates forming and impact — 40%, better than 92% of precious metal grades
- Forms and bends easily — 95/100, better than 91% of precious metal grades
- High electrical conductivity — 85 % IACS, better than 88% of precious metal grades
- Easy to machine — 55/100, better than 86% of precious metal grades
Limitations
- Low stiffness — 76 GPa (11 Msi), worse than 96% of precious metal grades
- Low strength — 75 MPa (10.9 ksi), worse than 89% of precious metal grades
- Limited service temperature — 200°C (392 °F), worse than 89% of precious metal grades
Silver 925 properties
Typical room-temperature values for Silver 925-O; bars are the position among precious metal grades.
Physical3
Silver 925 has a density of 10.36 g/cm³ (0.374 lb/in³), heavier than 50% of precious metal grades. It melts at 779°C (1,434 °F).
Mechanical12
Silver 925 has a yield strength of 75 MPa (10.9 ksi) and a tensile strength of 280 MPa (40.6 ksi) — weaker than 89% of precious metal grades. Elongation at break is 40% and the elastic modulus is 76 GPa (11 Msi).
Thermal6
Silver 925 is rated for continuous service to 200°C (392 °F). It conducts heat at 360 W/m·K (208 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 94% of precious metal grades. Thermal expansion is 18.9 µm/m·K (10.5 µin/in·°F).
Electrical3
Silver 925 conducts electricity at 85 % IACS, better than 88% of precious metal grades.
Chemical & Environmental3
Corrosion resistance is very good (75/100), worse than 61% of precious metal grades.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of Silver 925 takes about 1,500 MJ of energy and emits 110 kg of CO₂ — more than 51% of precious metal grades. Typical recycled content is 35%.
Manufacturability8
Silver 925's machinability is good (55/100, better than 86% of precious metal grades); weldability good (60/100); formability excellent (95/100).
Common Calculations5
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Strength versus weight in the precious metal family
Yield strength against density for every precious metal grade FabDigit runs. Silver 925 is highlighted; hover a dot for its name, or open the interactive family chart.
Working with Silver 925
Is Silver 925 easy to machine?
Very soft and gummy in the annealed state — use sharp polished high-rake carbide or HSS, high speed, light feed, and prefer half-hard or age-hardened stock for threads and turned parts; collect all swarf as refinable scrap.
Can Silver 925 be welded?
Laser and micro-TIG welding are routine with matching sterling filler; high thermal conductivity makes resistance welding difficult, and torch work needs a reducing flame plus boric-acid/flux protection against firescale.
Can Silver 925 be formed, bent or molded?
Excellent cold formability when annealed (raising, spinning, stamping, drawing); interanneal at 600–650 °C with a rapid quench after roughly 50–60 % reduction to avoid edge cracking, and investment casts well at 950–1000 °C mould temperature.
Silver 925 chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| Ag925 fineness minimum per ISO 9202 / GB/T 11887 hallmarking | 92.5 – 93.5 | 92.5 |
| Cubalance; may be partly replaced by Zn/Si/Ge/Sn in de-oxidised or tarnish-resistant sterling variants | ≥ 6.5 (balance) |
What surface finishes work on Silver 925?
Polishes to a mirror finish easily; typical finishes are bright polish, satin, chemical oxidising (liver of sulfur) or rhodium/fine-silver plating for tarnish resistance — anodizing is not applicable.
Equivalent designations
Standards and trade names that resolve to Precious Metal Silver 925 in FabDigit's catalog. Equivalence is nominal — check the exact specification when certification matters.
- Trade names
- Sterling SilverSTG
How much does Silver 925 cost?
Silver 925 is a specialty-cost precious metal ($$$$$), pricier than about 100% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Silver 925 — frequently asked
What is Silver 925 used for?
Silver 925 is typically used for jewelry, tableware and coin minting. In short: sterling silver jewelry sheet.
What is the yield strength of Silver 925?
Silver 925 has a typical yield strength of 75 MPa (10.9 ksi) and a tensile strength of 280 MPa (40.6 ksi) — weaker than 89% of precious metal grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 5 listed tempers.
Is Silver 925 easy to machine?
Reasonably — machinability is rated good (55/100, better than 86% of precious metal grades). Very soft and gummy in the annealed state — use sharp polished high-rake carbide or HSS, high speed, light feed, and prefer half-hard or age-hardened stock for threads and turned parts; collect all swarf as refinable scrap.
Can Silver 925 be welded?
Yes — weldability is rated good (60/100). Laser and micro-TIG welding are routine with matching sterling filler; high thermal conductivity makes resistance welding difficult, and torch work needs a reducing flame plus boric-acid/flux protection against firescale.
What surface finishes work on Silver 925?
Polishes to a mirror finish easily; typical finishes are bright polish, satin, chemical oxidising (liver of sulfur) or rhodium/fine-silver plating for tarnish resistance — anodizing is not applicable.
Can Silver 925 be formed, bent or molded?
Excellent cold formability when annealed (raising, spinning, stamping, drawing); interanneal at 600–650 °C with a rapid quench after roughly 50–60 % reduction to avoid edge cracking, and investment casts well at 950–1000 °C mould temperature.
What is the maximum service temperature of Silver 925?
Silver 925 is rated for continuous use to about 200°C (392 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
What is the difference between Silver 925-O and Silver 925-PH?
O is the default condition — default stock condition for sheet, wire and tube that will be formed, raised, bent or drawn. PH: choose when a formed or cast sterling part must be hardened after shaping (spring clips, hinge pins, cutlery handles). Yield strength is 75 MPa in O versus 400 MPa in PH.
How much does Silver 925 cost?
Silver 925 is a specialty-cost precious metal ($$$$$), pricier than about 100% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- ISO 9202 Jewellery — Fineness of precious metal alloys — ISO (2019)
- ASM Handbook Vol.2 — Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys (Precious Metals) — ASM International (1990)
- ASM Alloy Phase Diagrams — Ag-Cu system — ASM International (1992)
- Sterling silver sheet & wire technical data — Hoover & Strong / Rio Grande (2024)
- CES EduPack materials data — silver alloys (eco properties) — Granta/Ansys (2022)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.