Glossary

Nickel is a hard, silvery-white metallic element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a transition metal known for its strength, ductility, and excellent resistance to corrosion and oxidation, even at high temperatures. Nickel plays a crucial role in modern metallurgy and manufacturing—particularly in the production of stainless steels, high-performance alloys, and protective coatings.

In its pure form, nickel is tough, malleable, and magnetic at room temperature. It has a high melting point of 1,455°C (2,651°F), making it suitable for demanding applications such as jet engines, turbines, and heat exchangers. The metal forms a protective oxide layer on its surface when exposed to air, which helps prevent further corrosion—a property that makes it especially valuable in harsh or marine environments.

Nickel is most commonly used as an alloying element. The majority of the world’s nickel production—over 65%—is used to make stainless steel, where it combines with chromium and iron to increase corrosion resistance, toughness, and strength. It’s also a key component in nickel-based superalloys, which maintain strength and stability under extreme heat and stress, making them essential for aerospace, energy, and chemical processing industries. Other common nickel alloys include Monel (nickel-copper), Inconel (nickel-chromium), and Nichrome (nickel-chromium resistance wire).

Nickel also serves as a protective coating in nickel plating—a process that deposits a thin layer of nickel onto steel or other metals to improve wear resistance, corrosion protection, and appearance. This technique is used in fasteners, tools, electrical components, and decorative hardware.

Beyond metallurgy, nickel has important electrical and chemical uses. It’s used in batteries—particularly nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), and increasingly in nickel-rich lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. It’s also used in catalysts, coins, magnets, and electronic components.

Nickel occurs naturally in minerals such as pentlandite (Fe,Ni)₉S₈, garnierite, and laterites, with major deposits found in Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia, Canada, and Australia. Extraction involves both smelting of sulfide ores and hydrometallurgical processes for laterite ores.