Lead

Refined pure lead (i.e. soft lead) is the end product of our melting process.

Lead is the softest of the technically important heavy metals. It is easily rolled and moldable, so it is possible to produce wire rod and tubes as well as sheets and foils. A large part of the lead output is used for the cells of lead storage batteries (car batteries). Cable sheath made out of lead and sealing material in the form of lead wool or lead foil are other areas of application.

As regards the environmentally safe production and recycling of base materials, this metal has another positive property: it can be almost fully recycled as often as required without any loss of quality or value. In 2002 about 3,155 million t of lead were recovered worldwide by recycling. That is about 65 % of the entire lead output. 

Lead production at Aurubis

We produce refined lead in bars with a lead content of at least 99.985 % Pb as the brand "NA-F", which is classified as refined lead in accordance with the German standard (DIN). Our lead corresponds to the European Norm EN 12659 (formerly DIN 1719) in its chemical composition and is also accepted as a registered brand worldwide under the lead contract of the London Metal Exchange (LME).

Chemical composition of "NA-F" brand lead in % (mass fractions):

Lead Content	Elements
Pb	Ag	As	Bi	Cd	Cu	Ni	Sb	Sn	Zn	Total
min.	max.	max.	max.	max.	max.	max.	max.	max.	max.	max.
99.985	0.0025	0.0005	0.015	0.0002	0.001	0.0005	0.0005	0.0005	0.0002	0.015