Today, many people are fond of gold, silver, copper, and aluminum. Steel is an important metal for industry while bulk lead for sale sometimes goes unnoticed. However, even though it’s not considered a precious metal, this soft gray material is still valuable and sees many uses today. So why is lead so important? Let’ look a little closer to see.
A 6000 Year History
As far back as six thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians used lead to make figurines. It was popular because the metal was soft and easy to form into shapes. Also, because of the low melting point, it didn’t take a lot of energy to cast lead things. However, even back then, it didn’t get the attention that iron or copper received.
The Romans had plenty of lead available because they found it with silver. There was an sample supply of bulk lead for sale, and they soon discovered this material was the perfect thing for transporting water. Lead pipes were not hard to make, and they didn’t rust or corrode like iron. Soon, Roman plumbing was lead and so were the aqua duct linings. In time, pewter (alloyed with lead) was a popular metal for making pots and kettles.
Lead’s chemical name is PB (which means liquid silver in Latin). The Latin term for lead is plumbum, and that is where the term “plumber” came from, as plumbing became synonymous with the gray metal.
21st Century
Today, many companies routinely buy bulk lead for sale to use in batteries. Although it fell out of favor for plumbing, paint, and automotive fuel additives, it’s still important for its corrosion resistance and is a highly valued roofing material. Perhaps the most thing about lead is its ability to protect against the harmful effects of radiation. You’ll see many lead-lined products in healthcare, diagnostic, and research facilities today.
