10 Facts About the Nickel Element

Nickel (NI) is among the most abundant materials on Earth. It’s also among the most widely used material on the planet. Most nickel is located in the planet’s core, more than 1800 miles beneath the Earth’s crust. A silvery-white material with a slight gold tinge, nickel has a relative atomic mass of 58.69, a density of 8.9g / cm³, and a melting point of 1455°C. Its boiling point is 2730°C. This versatile, ductile material finds wide use in industry because of its hardness, good ductility, and magnetic and corrosion resistance. Plus, it can be highly polished for specific purposes.

Number 28 on the Periodic Table, nickel was identified and isolated as an element in 1751 by Baron Axel Fredrik Cronstedt. The Swedish mineralogist and chemist called the element kupfernickel because he found it in a rock that resembled copper (kuper) ore and because miners thought that the rock’s evil spirits (nickel) were making it hard to extract its copper. Today, nickel is used in everything from coins, batteries, jet engines, and optical instruments to medical equipment, electric stoves, and machinery, and everything in between. Nickel is also an essential trace element found in some animals. Without it, they’d die.

Ten Facts about Nickel

Below are ten little-known facts about nickel:

1. Two-thirds of the primary nickel ore mined goes into stainless steel.
2. Nickel is one of three elements ferromagnetic at room temperature.
3. The world’s nickel resources are estimated at more than 350 million tons.
4. Stainless steel accounts for about 65% of nickel consumption, with batteries (15%) and heat-resistant and non-ferrous alloys (12%) making up much of the rest.
5. The U.S. five-cent coin is only 25% nickel but 75% copper by weight.
6. Nearly 80% of the nickel historically mined was extracted in the last three decades.
7. Australia, Indonesia, South Africa, Russia, and Canada account for more than 50% of the global nickel resources.
8. Beer kegs made of nickel-based stainless steel often stay in use for 30-40 years.
9. Nearly 80% of the pure nickel used in the U.S. finds its way into alloys.
10. Nickel is roughly 100 times more concentrated below the Earth’s crust than in it.

Is Nickel Alloy Magnetic?

Nickel is one of three elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature, along with iron and cobalt. Gadolinium also becomes ferromagnetic, but only below about 20°C (68°F). Ferromagnetism is the strongest type of magnetism, along with the similar effect of ferrimagnetism. Nickel has a higher susceptibility to magnetization than many other materials. The strength of the materials magnetism depends on the applied magnetizing field. The magnetization may remain even after removing the applied field. Iron is an excellent example of this effect and is associated with the parallel magnetic alignment of neighboring atoms. 

Nickel’s magnetism is high because of the parallel alignment of dipoles. However, its magnetism changes after the Curie temperature (T C) or Curie point, which in nickel’s case is 358°C (676°F). It then stops being ferromagnetic and becomes paramagnetic. That means it becomes weakly attracted to a magnet’s poles without retaining any permanent magnetism. Nickel’s magnetic moments, which refer to a material’s magnetic strength, are smaller but stronger and more stable than iron’s are. 

Nickel’s Use in Alloys

Few things are made from pure nickel. Instead, it’s combined with other materials to create alloys. An alloy’s composition is the key to its being attracted by a magnet. Alloys having a content of 72% to 83% have the best soft magnetic properties, which means you can easily magnetize and demagnetize a part made from this material. Mu-metal, for example, is a soft magnetic alloy comprising about 75% nickel and 15% iron, plus copper and molybdenum. This alloy has high permeability. That allows it to shield highly sensitive electronic equipment against static or low-frequency magnetic fields. Stainless steel alloys, however, can’t be attracted to a magnet. 

Nickel is widely used as an alloy because of its resistance to high temperatures, corrosion, and rust, and other properties. Nickel-based alloys are used extensively in aviation, marine, chemical, electronics, medical and energy industries. Inconel° is a nickel-chromium alloy, for example, that provides excellent corrosion resistance at high temperatures. It’s used in a wide variety of products, including turbine engines, combustion chambers, turbine blades, color TV sets, and communication equipment.

Nickel is mined across multiple countries, though production is heavily concentrated in a handful of regions.

Where Is Nickel Mined?

The nickel mining countries that produce the most ore have shifted considerably over the past decade. Indonesia now dominates global output, accounting for roughly half of all mine production— up from just 345,000 metric tons in 2017 to more than 2 million metric tons by 2024. Much of that growth is concentrated on the island of Sulawesi and in North Maluku province, where laterite deposits sit close to the surface and close to Chinese smelting demand.

The Philippines ranks second among nickel mining countries, producing around 387,000 metric tons of nickel content annually. Russia follows in third place, with most output coming from the Arctic Norilsk region. Canada and New Caledonia round out the top five. Australia and Brazil also contribute meaningful volumes, though well behind the leaders.

What does this concentration mean for buyers? Indonesia’s government has repeatedly adjusted export quotas and ore-production caps to manage domestic supply and support prices. In early 2026, it cut its nickel ore production quota by roughly a third compared with the prior year, temporarily halting operations at several mines. Those policy shifts can ripple through pricing and lead times for nickel alloys worldwide, particularly for grades that rely on high-purity Class 1 feedstock.

The U.S. has no active nickel mines. That makes domestic supply chains dependent on imports and recycling. This explains why nickel is classified as a critical mineral by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Nickel in Superalloys: Why Industries Can’t Replace It

Of all the nickel element facts worth knowing, this one is most critical to aerospace and power-generation engineers: nickel is the backbone of superalloys, and no viable substitute exists for that job.

Nickel in superalloys works because of how the metal behaves at extreme heat. When alloyed with chromium, cobalt, aluminum, titanium, and other elements, nickel forms a two-phase microstructure: a γ (gamma) matrix reinforced by γ′ (gamma-prime) precipitates. That microstructure holds its strength at temperatures above 600°C (1,112°F), resists creep under sustained loads and shrugs off oxidation and hot corrosion. Turbine blades in modern jet engines routinely operate above 1,000°C (1,832°F). Without nickel-based superalloys, those temperatures would destroy the part.

Inconel 718 is the most widely specified nickel superalloy in aerospace. It offers high-temperature strength up to around 700°C (1,292°F), strong fatigue resistance, and good weldability compared with other superalloy grades. This combination keeps it in constant demand for turbine discs, combustion liners, and exhaust components. You can explore nine real-world Inconel applications across aerospace, energy, and chemical processing for a closer look at where these alloys are found in service.

Outside of Inconel 718, alloys like Waspaloy, Hastelloy, and René 65 fill other temperature and stress niches. Each contains 50% or more nickel by weight. Engineers choose between them based on the specific mix of creep life, oxidation resistance, and fabricability the application demands. For a comparison of how Inconel grades stack up against stainless steel in corrosion and strength, see Inconel alloys vs. stainless steel.

The reason nickel in superalloys can’t be swapped out for a cheaper element comes down to physics. Nickel’s face-centered cubic crystal structure stays stable across a wide temperature range, accepts a broad spectrum of alloying additions, and supports the coherent precipitate phases that give superalloys their strength. No other base metal offers that same package.

Nickel in Batteries and the Energy Transition

Nickel’s role in energy storage has grown rapidly alongside the electric vehicle (EV) market. In lithium-ion batteries, nickel is used in the cathode, the electrode that stores and releases lithium ions during charge and discharge cycles. A higher-nickel battery cathode means higher energy density, which translates directly into longer driving range per charge.

The most common nickel-containing cathode chemistries are NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) and NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminum). In NMC 811 cathodes (among the highest-performing) nickel makes up about 80% of the cathode’s metal content. Some next-generation designs push toward 90% or higher. The goal is to pack more energy into each cell while reducing cobalt, which is expensive and carries supply-chain concerns.

Not every EV battery uses nickel, though. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries contain no nickel at all and have gained share in mass-market vehicles, particularly in China, thanks to lower cost and simpler manufacturing. LFP packs are roughly 40% cheaper per kilowatt-hour than NMC alternatives. But the tradeoff is lower energy density, which means heavier packs and shorter range for the same battery size.

For premium and long-range EVs, the nickel battery cathode remains the chemistry of choice. Automakers building vehicles with 400-plus-mile (640+ km) range targets continue to specify high-nickel cells. Outside China, nearly 80% of EV batteries deployed in 2025 used nickel-containing cathode chemistries, according to the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook.

This split creates two distinct demand pools for nickel: stainless steel (still the largest single use) and batteries (a fast-growing share). For buyers of nickel alloys in aerospace and industrial applications, the battery sector’s appetite for high-purity Class 1 nickel adds competition for the same refined feedstock, which is something worth watching as both markets expand.

Nickel Properties at a Glance

If you’re comparing nickel against competing alloys, you’ll want to know nickel’s physical constants.

Nickel properties at standard conditions. Imperial equivalents in parentheses where applicable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is nickel toxic or safe to handle?

Nickel metal itself is not considered toxic in solid form, and handling nickel alloy parts in a shop or warehouse poses no unusual risk. Some people do develop contact dermatitis, a skin reaction, from prolonged exposure to nickel-plated jewelry or watch bands. Inhaling nickel dust or fumes during grinding, welding, or smelting is a different matter and requires proper ventilation and respiratory protection per OSHA guidelines.

What is the difference between Class 1 and Class 2 nickel?

Class 1 nickel has a purity of 99.8% or higher and is suitable for battery cathodes and specialty chemical applications. Class 2 nickel, which includes ferronickel and nickel pig iron, has lower purity and goes primarily into stainless steel production. The distinction is important for procurement because Class 1 commands a premium and faces tighter supply constraints as EV battery demand grows.

Can nickel be recycled?

Yes. Nickel is one of the most recyclable industrial metals, and recycled nickel retains its original properties without degradation. An estimated 68% of nickel reaching end-of-life products is recovered and re-enters the supply chain, mainly through stainless steel scrap. As high-nickel EV batteries reach retirement age in coming years, battery recycling is expected to become another significant source of secondary nickel.

Why does nickel cost more than steel?

Nickel trades as a commodity on the London Metal Exchange (LME), and its price reflects mining concentration, refining complexity, and demand from both the stainless steel and battery sectors. Pure nickel requires more energy-intensive processing than carbon steel, and global supply is heavily concentrated in Indonesia. Price swings can be sharp. During the 2022 short squeeze, LME nickel spiked above $100,000 per metric ton before settling back below $20,000 by early 2025.

Need nickel alloys to AMS/MIL? Request a quote.