base metal

American  

noun

1. any metal other than a precious or noble metal, as copper, lead, zinc, or tin.

2. the principal metal of an alloy.

3. the principal metal of a piece underlying a coating of another metal; core.

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base metal British  

noun

1. any of certain common metals such as copper, lead, zinc, and tin, as distinct from the precious metals, gold, silver, and platinum

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Example Sentences

You can call cobalt a base metal, or stick it with uranium in special metals.

From Barron's

The tub may be wooden, the ewer convincingly rendered as base metal, but the bedding and Mary’s gown are of silk with golden threads that is recognizably Italian.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pairing these metal oxides with a conductive carbon network improves electron movement and prevents the particles from clumping together, which is a frequent issue in conventional base metal catalysts.

From Science Daily

A proposed $53 billion merger between Anglo American and Teck Resources, the mining sector’s biggest deal for a decade, amounts to a giant play on future demand for the base metal.

From The Wall Street Journal

The copper mining company’s stock gained ground along with prices for the base metal.

From Seattle Times