Material	Properties	Applications
Au-Ag	Greater proportion of silver increases its resistance to mechanical wear. The resistance to corrosion and tarnishing remains unchanged. Low contact resistance.	Light duty Relays, Control-switches Micor-switches Telecommunication relays
Pt	High melting point reduces metal transfer and sticking under high contact temperature. Low contact resistance and good resistance to corrosion.	Light duty switches. Measuring instruments. Telecommunication relays.
Pt-Ir	Additions of 10~30% iridium increases its resistance to mechanical wear, and lifts its melting point considerably. The low contact resistance and the resistance to corrosion and chemical attack remain unchanged. Highly resistant to arc-erosion and metal transfer.	Aviation switches. Motorcar switches. Alarm systems.
Pd-Ag	Low metal transfer under arc-erosion or frequent contact. Good resistance to mechanical wear. When palladium is over 40%, the alloy is resistant to sulphurous or organic atmosphere. Higher contact pressure required.	Telecommunication relays. Motorcar switches. Micro-motors.
Pd-Ru	Good resistance to mechanical wear and corrosion. Its low cost makes it a good substitute for Pt-Ru or Pt-Ir. Higher contact pressure required.	Motorcar switches. Fire alarm systems.
Ag	Highest in electrical and thermal conductivity. Excellent extensibility but weak to mechanical wear. Low resistance to sulphurous or organic atmosphere. The most popularly used metal in low current conditions.	Household switches. Rotary switches. Low current switches. Light duty Relays.
Ag-Cu	Additions of Cu increase silver's resistance to mechanical wear, metal transfer, and sticking. When Cu is under 25%, the extensibility of the alloy is still similar to that of silver. Recommended when wiping action is present.	Household switches. Rotary switches. Motorcar switches.
Ag-Cd	Addition of 10% Cd increases silver's resistance to mechanical wear and arc-erosion, low contact resistance.	Light duty switches. Motorcar switches. Aviation switches.
Ag-Ni	High conductivity. Better resistance to mechanical wear than silver. Good resistance to sticking and metal transfer in high current. Low arc-erosion and contact resistance in direct current.	Electromagnetic switches. Power relays. Thermostats.
Ag-CdO	This alloy has better resistance to sticking and arc-erosion than silver. Low in metal transfer. Resistant to welding. Contact resistance slightly higher than Ag-Ni.	High-mid duty relays. Mid-duty switches. Thermostats.
Ag-Cu-Ni	Good resistance to mechanical wear, metal transfer, and arc-erosion.	Mid-light duty relays. Small D.C. motors.
Ag-SnO2-In2O3	Highly resistant to mechanical wear and arc-erosion. Compared with Ag-CdO, this alloy has the same resistance to sticking and lower contact resistance. This material is much more durable than Ag-CdO.	High duty relays. Circuit breakers. Electromagnetic switches Motor vehicle switches.