If you’ve paid attention to EVs, smartphone fast chargers, or solar power systems, you might notice these devices are getting smaller and more efficient. Behind this lies an “unsung hero” — the thin copper strips inside transformers. Let’s break down why these strips are game-changers and why giants like Tesla and Huawei are adopting them!

What Are Transformer Thin Copper Strips?

Think of them as “flattened copper wires” — as thin as half a human hair (0.05–0.5mm) but several centimeters wide, resembling ultra-thin metallic tape. This design lets them outperform traditional round copper wires in high-frequency, compact devices.

Where Are They Used? — 4 Hot Applications

• 1.Smartphone Fast Chargers
• There was a time that chargers were brick-sized; now they’re thin as credit-card ! The secret? Mini transformers using thin copper strips. Example: Huawei Mate 60s 100W charger is just 1.5cm thick.

• 2.EV Charging Station
• Tesla’s V4 Supercharger uses 0.2mm copper strips to hit 350kW charging (100km range in 5 minutes) while shrinking the unit size by 50%

• 3.Rooftop Solar Power Systems
• Solar inverters with copper strip-based transformers boost efficiency from 97% to 99% — earning 3% more electricity yearly (hundreds of dollars in savings)

• 4.Foldable Phone Wireless Chargers
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7’s wireless charging module uses 0.08mm copper strips, surviving 5,000 bends without damage, and is only 2mm thick.

5 Advantages of Thin Copper Strips

• 1.Energy Saving: No Overheating at High Frequencies
• Traditional copper wires act like “traffic jams” at high frequencies, forcing current to crowd the surface (called the “skin effect”). Thin copper strips widen the “road” into a “flat highway,” letting current flow smoothly. Tests show 40% less energy loss at 500kHz

• 2.Space-Saving Magic
• Copper wires leave gaps like tangled yarn, while thin strips stack tightly like folded paper, achieving 95% space efficiency. A transformer with copper strips can be 30% smaller — imagine an EV charger fitting into your car trunk!

• 3.Longer Life-span
• The wide surface of copper strips dissipates heat better, running 15–20°C cooler than wires. Example: Solar inverters in scorching sunlight last 15 years instead of 10.

• 4.Cost-Effective & Eco-Friendly
• Less material waste, easier recycling (no chemical stripping needed), and 8–12% lower total cost. For a factory making 100,000 transformers yearly, this saves millions.

• 5.Future-Proof Tech
• 6G Networks: MHz-level transformers demand ultra-thin strips
• Wearables: Flexible strips can bend endlessly, ideal for smartwatch coils.

What Do Users Actually Experience?

1.Faster Charging: Phones charge in 30 minutes; EVs refuel like gas cars.

2.Lighter Gadget: Laptop chargers shrink from “bricks” to “cards”.

3.Lower Bills: Home solar systems earn 3% more yearly.

How Are Industry Leaders Using Them?

TESlA: Built its own 0.1mm copper strip production line to cut Supercharger costs by 20%.

CATL：Invested $10B in copper strip factories for 800V EV battery systems.

XIAOMI：World’s thinnest 0.05mm strips power its foldable phone wireless charging.

From pocket-sized chargers to space stations, thin copper strips are rewriting the rules of power devices. Next time you charge your phone in minutes or slip a charger into your wallet, remember — there’s a layer of “tech magic” inside.

• Component difference
• ‌C11000‌ : This is a high purity copper alloy, copper content of more than 99.90%, no specific requirements for oxygen content, electrical conductivity ≥96%‌.
• C10200‌ : this is a kind of oxygen-free copper, the purity of 99.97%, oxygen content is not more than 0.003%, the total content of impurities is not more than 0.03%‌
• Performance difference
• C11000 has good processing performance, but contains a trace amount of oxygen may affect its electrical and thermal conductivity, and easy to cause “hydrogen disease”, should not be processed and used in high temperature environment ‌.
• The C10200 does not have these problems and has better processing performance ‌.
• ‌Corrosion resistance ‌ : both have good corrosion resistance, but the specific performance may be different due to the different environment and conditions of use ‌.
• Application field
• C11000‌ : because of its excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, widely used in electrical, electronic, mechanical manufacturing and other fields ‌.
• C10200‌ : Because of its high purity and excellent electrical conductivity, it is often used in the manufacture of extremely demanding electronic components and connectors .

The high electrical conductivity of copper has been vital to the development of the electrical industry in the past 100 years. Electrolytic copper has become the industry standard for electrical conductivity. The measure by which all other materials are rated is known as %IACS (percent International Annealed Copper Standard). A few comparative conductivity ratings are:

C110 electrolytic tough-pitch copper – 101% IACS
C102 oxygen-free copper – 101% IACS
C145 tellurium copper – 95% IACS
Aluminum EC – 62% IACS
Aluminum 6101 – 56% IACS
Stainless Steel 302 – 3% IACS

While high conductivity is the main characteristic that makes copper metals valuable to the electrical industry, there are also other characteristics, which make them valuable for electrical use. Resistance to corrosion makes it possible to use bare wire and bar bus bar without any covering. Copper’s high thermal conductivity enables it to dissipate heat generated in the transmission of electricity. Also, copper metals have superior wearing and bearing properties, which make them invaluable for electric contacts. And when a high-performance contact is required, the copper can be easily plated with silver

Bronze is an alloy made from copper and tin. Throughout human history, it has been an important material that has greatly contributed to the advancement of civilizations. Today bronze is used in numerous applications, from the automotive industry to architecture, agriculture, and more. One particularly interesting aspect of this metal is its magnetic behavior.

Before deciding to implement bronze in any application, understanding whether or not it is magnetic is an important step. As one of China’s leading bronze suppliers, Shintone can help you with everything you need to know about this valuable metal alloy. In this blog, we’ll explore the magnetic properties of bronze and discuss how its alloying elements influence its overall magnetic behavior.

Bronze Composition

As a copper and tin alloy, bronze is typically composed of around 88% copper and 12% tin. Both of these metals feature unique atomic structures and magnetic properties that influence bronze’s characteristics. In its pure form, copper features no magnetic properties, while tin is lightly attracted to magnetic fields.

Magnetic Properties of Copper

Magnetism is caused by the motion of electrons spinning around an atom’s nucleus. When equal numbers of electrons spin in opposite directions, they are not attracted to a magnetic field. When they spin in the same direction, however, a magnetic field is produced. Copper has a face-centered cubic crystal structure, and features a single valence electron in its outer shell. Due to this unpaired electron, copper exhibits some weak diamagnetic properties.

A diamagnetic material is one that creates a weak magnetic field in opposition to externally applied magnetic fields. While the diamagnetic effect of copper is weak, the metal still demonstrates an inherent aversion to magnetic forces.

Magnetic Properties of Tin

Tin has a body-centered tetragonal crystal structure and, unlike copper, contains two free valence electrons. These electrons cause tin to be weakly paramagnetic. Paramagnetism is caused by a material’s multiple unpaired electrons that are weakly attracted to an externally applied magnetic field.

Similar to copper, tin’s paramagnetic properties are not particularly strong, but still present. When tin and copper are combined into an alloy, their unpaired electrons pair up, creating a non-magnetic material.

Bronze’s Magnetic Behavior

When we have a basic understanding of the metals bronze is made up of, it becomes easier to predict how this material will behave. Bronze’s magnetic behavior is most significantly influenced by the proportion of copper and tin that are used to create it. Since copper makes up the largest proportion of bronze, it contributes its diamagnetic behavior to the alloy.

While tin is a paramagnetic material, it is not dominant enough to affect bronze’s overall magnetism. As a result, bronze’s magnetic behavior is close to diamagnetic, due to its copper dominance. This means that bronze slightly repels a magnetic field, although the effect is significantly weaker than that of pure copper, due to the influence of tin.

The Influence of Impurities in Bronze

While bronze is primarily composed of tin and copper, both historical and modern bronze alloys can contain trace amounts of impurities. Due to variations in ore sources or manufacturing techniques, other metals, non-metals, and metalloids are sometimes found in bronze, such as:

• Phosphorous
• Silicon
• Aluminum
• Manganese
• Nickel

In some cases, these impurities can impact bronze’s magnetic behavior. Impurities that introduce ferrimagnetic or ferromagnetic behavior can make bronze more responsive to magnetic fields. Depending on the type and amount of materials added to bronze, various useful properties can be achieved, such as enhanced machinability or ductility.

When materials like aluminum or manganese are added, bronze becomes weakly magnetic, since both aluminum and manganese are paramagnetic materials. For this reason, it’s important to understand which alloying metals are found in bronze before selecting a certain type for an application.

Learn More About Bronze with Shintone

Since bronze is primarily made up of copper, which is diamagnetic, bronze is not magnetic. However, it’s possible for other elements to be added in quantities that subtly affect bronze’s magnetic behavior. With its diverse range of end-use applications, bronze products are a necessity for many industries.