Copper is a ductile metal with high electrical and thermal conductivity. Pure copper is very soft and malleable. Because of these properties, it is used in various metal alloys such as brass.
Although copper is a very common metal on earth, only a fraction of this is viable to be mined with current prices and technology. It is estimated that the current available reserves may only last another 25 – 60 years. Because of this, recycling is a major source of copper in modern times and will be essential in our ability to continue to utilize this metal in the future.