Alloy
- CBSE · NCERT Class 10, Ch 3 Metals and Non-metals
An alloy is a metal blended evenly with another metal or with a non-metal, to give it better properties such as extra hardness.
Pure metals are not always right for the job. Pure iron is soft and stretches when hot. Add a little carbon, and it becomes steel, which is hard and strong. Mix iron with nickel and chromium, and you get stainless steel, which does not rust.
- Brass: copper and zinc.
- Bronze: copper and tin.
- Solder: lead and tin. It melts at a low temperature, so it is used to join wires.
- Amalgam: any alloy with mercury in it.
An alloy conducts electricity less well, and melts at a lower temperature, than its pure metals.
A small example
Pure gold is called 24 carat and is too soft for jewellery. 22 carat gold has 22 parts gold mixed with 2 parts silver or copper. So the share of gold is 22 ÷ 24, about 91.7%. The small share of another metal makes it harder.
Where marks go
CBSE's 2026-27 Science sample paper has no alloy question, so we cannot show an alloy split. It does test properties of metals. In Question 28, the 2026-27 Science marking scheme gives 2 marks for a reason about a fair test. The metal rods must be the same size, because a thicker rod takes longer to conduct heat.
So an answer on metals should give the property and the reason behind it. Read how step marking works.
Sources
Facts last checked against these sources on 30 September 2026.
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