Oxygen-free copper C101 is extremely pure copper with very little oxygen. With a typical oxygen content of less than 0.0005% and a typical copper grade of 99.99%, C101 Oxygen Free Copper is the highest grade copper available, with material properties very similar to elemental copper. The target purity is so high that silver is removed as an impurity.

As an ultra-high-purity copper product, C101 oxygen-free copper has very good electrical and thermal conductivity, good machinability and strong ductility. By reducing the oxygen content to less than 0.0005%, these properties are enhanced over standard copper products, allowing them to be used in a variety of highly specialized industrial applications.

What is the use of oxygen-free copper?
The higher the purity of any copper product, the better its corrosion resistance, the higher its conductivity, and the less heat it generates when it conducts electricity. As the purest copper product, C101 Oxygen Free Copper provides the best results of all copper products.
By removing almost all impurities, the metallic structure of the copper is barely disrupted, and by removing almost all oxygen, the oxidation of metallic copper is significantly reduced, which can further hinder performance.
Almost all uses of oxygen-free C101 copper are highly specialized due to higher prices for higher purity products. These include:
Superior Audio/Video Applications - High end audio/video applications where quality is paramount will use copper wire made from C101 Oxygen Free Copper.
Large Industrial Transformers - The increased conductivity of C101 Oxygen Free Copper can reduce the diameter of transformer wiring, thereby reducing the amount of copper used and the size of the overall installation.
Long Life Applications - In large or very difficult to replace projects, the long life of C101 oxygen free copper products may be beneficial.
High Vacuum Applications - Any scientific requirement to minimize the presence of impurities in a vacuum environment can use oxygen-free C101 copper to ensure contamination-free copper wiring.
When installing oxygen-free C101 copper, it is common to find more than one of the above applications, for example in the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator

How is oxygen-free copper made?
The processing of C101 oxygen-free copper differs only in the final refining stage. Standard high-purity copper is refined under standard atmospheric conditions, further reducing the oxygen content. The final refining process must be carried out in an oxygen-free environment.

This can involve pouring molten copper into a mold in an oxygen-free environment such as a vacuum or a carefully controlled inert atmosphere. Oxygen-free copper C101 is the most expensive copper grade on the market due to the additional processing complexity of producing the desired product purity.

Looking for copper for your next project? Hardware supermarkets offer copper in a variety of shapes, which can be cut to the size you need.

What is the difference between oxygen-free copper and pure copper?
Oxygen-free copper: Oxygen-free copper is made from high-purity cathode copper. The solution is covered with calcined charcoal. The oxygen content produced by smelting and forging under airtight conditions is very low. Oxygen-free copper has high electrical conductivity, good processing and welding properties, corrosion resistance and low temperature performance. Oxygen-free copper is mainly used in audio equipment, vacuum electronics, cables and other electrical and electronic applications.
Pure Copper: Copper with a high copper content. Generally, pure copper is oxygen-containing copper with a mass concentration of not less than 99.7% and very little impurity. Its appearance is dark purple, so it is also called red copper. Pure copper has good electrical and thermal conductivity, excellent corrosion resistance and excellent solderability. Pure copper is widely used in the manufacture of electrical and thermal equipment; it can be processed into semi-finished and finished products through cold and hot plastic processing; it is used in the chemical industry.