1. Low resistivity: The resistivity of aluminum cables is about 1.68 times that of copper cables.

2. Good ductility: The ductility of copper alloys is 20–40% and the ductility of copper for electrical applications is over 30%, while that of aluminum alloy is only 18%.

3. High strength: The allowable stress of copper at room temperature is 7–28% higher than of aluminum. The difference is even much greater at high temperature.

4. Resistance to fatigue: Aluminum wires are more likely to break than copper ones after being bending repeatedly. The modulus of elasticity of copper is also about 1.7–1.8 times that of aluminum.

5. Superior stability and resistance to corrosion: Copper cores are resistant to oxidation and corrosion, while aluminum cores are more likely to be oxidized and corroded.

6. High current carrying capacity: Due to lower resistivity, the maximum amount of current that can be passed through copper cores is about 30% higher than aluminum cores with the same cross section.

7. Low voltage loss: Also due to lower resistivity, the voltage drop of copper cores is small than that of aluminum cores carrying the same current with the same cross section. When the transmission distance is the same, copper cables deliver higher voltage; within the same allowable voltage drop, copper cables carry electric power to further places, which means wider distribution, facilitates power grid planning and reduces points of power supply.

8. Reduced heating: Carrying the same current, copper cores emits much less heat than aluminum cores with the same cross section, which makes the operation safer.

9. Energy saving: It is obvious that power loss along copper cables is lower compared with aluminum cables as copper has lower resistivity. This improves the utilization of power generated and protection of the environment.

10. Oxidation and corrosion resistance: The copper connectors are stable and avoid accidents due to oxidation. Connectors for aluminum cables often lead to increase of contact resistance, heating and even accidents due to oxidation. As a result, the accident rate with aluminum cables is much higher than that with copper cables.

11. Ease of use in construction: Copper cables are flexible and allow small bending radii, so they can be easily routed at turns and through ducts. Coppers are resistant to fatigue and do not break even after repeated bending, so their connection is simple. With high mechanical strength, copper cores can sustain high mechanical tension, which facilitates laying in construction and enables mechanized operations.