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 Nichrome wire can be used as an alternative to  platinum wire for  flame testing  by colouring the

non-luminous part of a flame to detect cations such as sodium, potassium, copper, calcium etc.

Other areas of usage include motorcycle mufflers, in certain areas in the microbiological lab

apparatus, as the heating element of plastic extruders by the RepRap 3D printing community, in the

solar panel deployment mechanism of spacecraft LightSail-A, as the heating coils of  electroniccigarettes. 

The alloy  price is controlled by the relatively more-expensive nickel content. Distributor pricing is

typically indexed to market prices for nickel. 

Properties[edit]

The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with North America and

do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and

discuss the issue on the talk page. (September 2013) 

The properties of nichrome vary depending on its alloy. Figures given are representative of typical

material and are accurate to expressed significant figures. Any variations are due to different

 percentages of nickel or chromium.

Material property Value Unit

Modulus of elasticity 2.2 × 1011 Pa

Density 8400 kg/m3 

Melting point   1400 °C 

Electrical resistivity at room temperature   (1.0 — 1.5) × 10−6 Ω·m 

Specific heat   450 J/(kg·K ) 

Thermal conductivity 11.3 W/(m·K)

Thermal expansion   14 × 10−6 K −1 

Standard ambient temperature and pressure 

used unless otherwise noted.

Table 1: Resistance per inch (Ω), closed helix, 80/20 alloy.[edit] 

[2]

 

Wire Gauge

(B&S No. / AWG) 

Outside Diameter of  Helix (inches)3/4 

5/8 1/2 

3/8 1/4 

7/32 3/16 

5/32 1/8 

3/32 1/16 

1/32 

14 0.446 0.365 0.283 0.202 0.121 0.101

15 0.638 0.523 0.408 0.293 0.178 0.148 0.120

16 0.895 0.735 0.575 0.415 0.255 0.215 0.175 0.135

17 1.32 1.08 0.851 0.617 0.383 0.325 0.266 0.208 0.150

18 1.89 1.56 1.22 0.891 0.559 0.475 0.392 0.309 0.226

19 2.60 2.14 1.69 1.23 0.779 0.665 0.551 0.438 0.32420 3.72 3.07 2.42 1.78 1.13 0.967 0.805 0.644 0.482

21 4.53 3.58 2.63 1.68 1.45 1.21 0.971 0.733 0.496