base metal

A base metal is a metal or alloy of comparatively low value and inferior properties, such as zinc, lead, or brass, as opposed to a noble metal. Base metals can also refer to the underlying metal to which a coating or plating is applied, or the chief constituent of an alloy. Geochemically, metals are classified as abundant (like aluminum, iron, magnesium, manganese, and titanium) or scarce (like copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver) based on their presence in Earth's crust. While abundant metals are essential components of minerals, scarce metals are often found as substitutions within the structures of common rock-forming minerals. Historically, gold, silver, and copper were among the first metals known, with copper being one of the earliest to be smelted and cast. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, became widely used in the Roman world.12345