We have numerous materials all with various strengths, corrosion resistance, uses etc. This page should help you wade through all the data and compare the materials. In general, we have selected alloys and tempers that are best suited for making chainmail while still being reasonably priced. The alloy and temper of a wire is extremely important, it can make the difference between chainmail that cannot hold its own weight and chainmail that will give years of service with only minor repairs. Please note: All of our products on our site - rings, wire, jewelry findings are Lead Free. They are also mercury and cadmium free. For nickel info see the chart below. Recycled Content: All of our metal can and does contain recycled content. This is just how the metal industries work now. People return metal for recycling and it will end up in our wire. All metal that doesn’t leave our facility as finished product is recycled. We recycle, brass, bronze, copper, stainless… all of it. For more info on our TRL Environmental Initiatives have a read here. This chart is split into 2 for display clarity. More materials are below. You may also click here to get this chart as a PDF. |
*Term Definitions Below Chart | Bright Aluminum (AB) ![]() |
Anodized Aluminum (AA) ![]() |
Stainless Steel (SS, SH) ![]() |
Niobium (NO, NA) ![]() |
Titanium (TI, TA) ![]() |
Silver (ST, SFN) ![]() |
Gold Fill (GF) ![]() |
Hypoallergenic | Good | Good | Contains nickel | Excellent - perfect hypoallergenic choice | Excellent - perfect hypoallergenic choice | Good | Yellow, Rose = excellent. White contains Nickel |
Will Tarnish or Change Color Over Time | Stays same | Stays same | Stays same | Stays same Anodized keeps brighter colors longer than TI. |
Stays same Colors fade from skin oils - clean to renew. |
Sterling: TRL uses an anti- tarnish alloy made just for us - it tarnishes slowly. Fine silver tarnishes very slowly. |
Stays same |
Cleanliness | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Most Appropriately Used As | jewelry, armor, costume | costume jewelry, armor, costume | any jewelry, armor, costume | high end jewelry | any jewelry, armor, costume | high end jewelry | high end jewelry |
Cost Per Ring | $ | $$ | $$ | $$$$ | $$$ | $$$$$ | $$$$$ |
Pairing Suggestions | Great with anodized aluminum, rubber rings and enameled copper | Great with bright aluminum and enameled copper | Great with almost anything - good with costume and high end materials. | Beautiful with silver, gold fill, stainless and titanium. | Beautiful with anything. Best with niobium, silver, gold fill and stainless | Beautiful with niobium, gold fill and titanium | Beautiful with niobium, silver and titanium |
Bendability / Workability | Easy | Easy | Difficult (spring temper is very difficult) | Easy | Very difficult | Easy | Easy |
Saw Cut-ability | Easy | - | Difficult | Difficult | Difficult | Easy | Easy |
TRL Alloy | 5356 - H18 | 5356 - H18 | 304 | 100% pure niobium | Grade 5 is Ti-6Al-4V 6% aluminum, 4% Vanadium | Sterling: 92.5% silver Fine: 99.9% silver | 14k 5% by weight gold tube over 1/2 hard brass |
TRL Temper and UTS | H18 = strain hardened to a level of 8/9 ~60ksi |
H18 = strain hardened to a level of 8/9 ~60 ksi |
Regular stainless: 1/4 hard, ~125 ksi Spring temper stainless: 3/4 hard, ~250ksi |
Hard ~60 ksi |
1/2 hard 130ksi |
Sterling: 1/2 hard, 56ksi Fine: full hard, ~45ksi Strength of 1/2 hard sterling = full hard fine. |
Core is 1/2 hard jewelers brass ~70ksi |
Weight Compared to Steel | 1/3 the weight of steel (66% lighter) |
1/3 the weight of steel (66% lighter) |
- | ~6% heavier than steel | ~60% the weight of steel (40% lighter) |
~33% heavier than steel | ~8% heavier than steel |
Magnetic ? | no | no | varies from no to slightly | no | no | no | no |
AR for Armor Quality Strength | >=14g AR<5 | >=14g AR<5 | SS>=16g AR<5.6 SH>=16g AR<6.1 |
- | >=16g AR<6.1 | - | - |
Cleaning | Ultrasonic cleaner or hot soapy water like dishes. | Hot soapy water like dishes - don't use strong acids/ bases on AA it will affect the coating. | Ultrasonic cleaner or hot soapy water like dishes. | Ultrasonic cleaner or hot soapy water like dishes - even for anodized. | Ultrasonic cleaner or hot soapy water like dishes - even for anodized. | Ultrasonic cleaner or hot soapy water; dry quick to prevent corrosion. Chemical cleaners available. | Ultrasonic cleaner or hot soapy water like dishes |
Shining | Tumble to increase shine | It is what it is - polishing can't help and can only hurt the coating | You can tumble to increase shine but it takes lots of tumbling. To make really shiny research steel shot finishing techniques. | You can tumble to increase shine but it won't get super shiny like AB or SS. You can tumble the anodized and you won't destroy the color layer - the color may change. | You can tumble TI to increase shine but it won't get mirror finish. Anodized layer is not as durable as niobium - test before tumbling - you might affect color. | Tumble to increase shine | Tumble to increase shine |
Special Notes: | Drawn to super smooth surface with little to no imperfections = little to no rub off. Reacts to strong acids/bases - changing appearance. As close to silver color as a non-plated base metal gets - white undertone. |
We make this using 2 techniques - 1 is shinier than the other. See pics and notes in category for details. Reacts to strong acids and bases - changing appearance of the metal. | We don't carry Surgical Stainless because it an undeserved reputation. It's alloy 316 and contains more nickel than the alloy we use. Nickel is usually what people react to as a piercing. | Niobium is an element on the periodic table. Nb 41. It's called a reactive metal as you can change its color with heat and electricity. | Titanium can be brittle - if you repeatedly open/close the same ring it can snap. It's called a reactive metal as you can change its color with heat and electricity | We use a special alloy of sterling silver made just for us that is anti-tarnish. Fine silver is a great competitor to the proprietary alloy Argentium. It tarnishes at a similar rate and can be fused. | It is highly unlikely you will ever wear thru the gold tube - this is a thick tube of gold not a plating. I have never had anyone wear through it. |
*Term Definitions Below Chart | Raw Aluminum (AL) ![]() |
Carbon Steel + Galvanized Steel (MS, HC, GA) ![]() |
Black Stainless (SB) ![]() |
Copper Alloys Brass, Bronze, Copper (BJR,BZ,CU) ![]() |
Nickel Silver (NS) ![]() |
Rubber Rings (EPDM) ![]() |
Enameled Copper (EC, ES) ![]() |
Hypoallergenic | No | No | No | No | Contains nickel | Good - latex free | Good |
Will Tarnish or Change Color Over Time | Stays same | Mild & High Carbon: rusts red Galv: rusts white |
Can fade to very dark gray | Darken with age | Darken with age | UV resistant but may fade in full sun | Stays same |
Cleanliness | Very dirty | Mild & High Carbon: powdery or oily rub off Galv: has rub off and smell |
Dry oil sealant film can rub off dirty | Certain skin chemistries react turning metal or skin green. No other rub off. | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
Most Appropriately Used as | armor | armor | armor | jewelry, armor, costume | jewelry, armor, costume | costume jewelry | costume jewelry |
Cost Per Ring | $ | $ | $$ | $$ | $$ | $$$ | $$ |
Pairing Suggestions | Ok with copper alloys | Ok with copper alloys | Great with all copper alloys including nickel silver and stainless steel | Great with all copper alloys including nickel silver and stainless steel | Great with all copper alloys including nickel silver and stainless steel | Best with anodized and bright aluminum or stainless steel | Great with bright aluminum and copper |
Bendability / Workability | Easy | Difficult | Difficult | Copper: easy Brass / Bronze: medium |
Medium | - | Very easy |
Saw Cut-ability | Easy | DON'T Mild & High Carbon: too cheap a metal not worth it. Galvy: deadly poisonous zinc fumes when heated. |
- | Medium | Medium | - | Easy |
TRL Alloy | 5154-H18 | Mild Steel: 1018 High Carbon Steel: 1062 Galvy: Mild steel with Zinc layer |
304 | Copper: C110 (solid copper) Brass: C226 (Cu-Zinc alloy) Bronze:C510 (Cu-Tin Alloy) |
C745 (CU-Nickel-Zinc alloy) | 100% EPDM or silicone latex free |
Soft copper coated in a layer of colored plastic. Silvered ES has a layer of silver to make brighter colors. |
TRL Temper and UTS | H18 = strain hardened to a level of 8/9 ~60 ksi |
Mild and Galvanized: 1/4 hard 90-100KSI High Carbon Steel: 200-250ksi 2-3x stronger |
1/4 hard 125ksi |
Copper: full hard, 50ksi Brass: 1/2 hard, 70 ksi Bronze: 1/2 hard, 75-90ksi |
1/2 hard ~90 ksi | 70 durometer for most (good wear resistance rating) 3ksi |
dead soft 30 ksi |
Weight Compared to Steel | 1/3 the weight of steel (66% lighter) |
- | - | Brass:~8% Bronze ~12% Copper ~14% All heavier than steel |
~11% heavier than steel | 1/6 the weight of steel (83% lighter) |
~14% heavier than steel |
Magnetic ? | No | Yes | Varies from no to slightly | No | No | No | No |
AR for Armor Quality Strength | >=14g AR<5 | >=16g AR<5.6 | >=16g AR<5.6 | >=16g AR<5.6 | >=16g AR<5.6 | - | - |
Cleaning | Chemical Etch - but it wears off and makes it white; can wash but it will get dirty again. | Mild & High Carbon Steel:tumble it with abrasive like sand; Galv: its plated and you can't clean it without damaging the coating | If you clean with water the black will go to dark grey. The oiled coating is making it darker. Test first - magnetite rusts so dry fast. | Ultrasonic cleaner or chemical like Brasso; dry quick to prevent corrosion | Ultrasonic cleaner or chemical like Brasso | Hot soapy water like dishes; any white powder is a mold release agent used in casting the rings - this can be washed off. | Ultrasonic cleaner or hot soapy water like dishes |
Shining | It will never be shiny | Galv: can be shiny when new but fades to matte gray as it ages, can't be made shiny again without abrasive tumbling which would eat a layer of zinc coating off of it. | Can be polished to a nice hematite with a DRY tumble. DO NOT wet tumble as this is washing. DO NOT tumble agressively with steel shot as this is burnishing not tumbling. | Tumble to increase shine | Tumble to increase shine | It is what it is | Is what it is - polishing can only hurt the coating |
Special Notes: | Reacts to strong acids and bases turning the metal white | Zinc fumes on galvy are deadly poisonous - do not heat it. | The black layer is Magnetite = Fe3O4 - its black rust. | All 3 are varying amounts of red starting with jewelers brass then bronze then the most red in copper. You can patina to make them various colors. | aka German Silver - do not confuse with real silver | Can be used to add stretch to maille - like a bra or clasp-less bracelet. | Enameled copper is mis-named - it has a colored plastic coating. |
Definition of Comparison Terms |
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