Material guide
Gluing Copper
Copper pipe, sheet, electrical parts and decorative work.
Also called copper pipe.
How Copper behaves when you bond it
Copper is a receptive adhesive substrate once it is clean, but joint design and service conditions still control the choice. Anaerobic products suit close-fitting metal joints, cyanoacrylates suit small close-fitting parts, and structural epoxies suit larger loaded areas. Copper corrosion and oxidation matter in long-term exposure.
Copper is a non-ferrous metal with a high-energy, non-porous surface. Adhesives usually wet clean copper readily, but the metal is chemically active and develops oxide and tarnish. A bond made to a weak or continuing oxide layer can lose durability even when its initial strength is high.
Material properties
- Surface energy
- High, which helps adhesion
- Porosity
- Non-porous
- Rigidity
- Semi-rigid
- Maximum service temperature
- 150C
- Normally needs abrading
- Yes
- Normally needs a primer
- No
- Recommended abrasive grit
- 80 grit (Preparation used for WEST SYSTEM G/flex 650 and 655 tensile-adhesion tests on copper) Manufacturer verified
Surface preparation
Remove oil first so abrasion does not spread it. Abrade to a uniform bright surface, remove all dust with a clean solvent wipe, allow the surface to dry and bond promptly without touching it. WEST SYSTEM reports 80-grit sanding for its G/flex copper adhesion tests. For 3M VHB tape only, 3M recommends a lacquer or varnish barrier because copper can continue to oxidise beneath the tape.
Which adhesives work on Copper
Excellent
Anaerobic adhesive, threadlocker and retainer
Copper is a reactive metal for anaerobic cure. This family is suited to confined metal joints such as threads, retainers and flanges, but not to an exposed, wide bond line where oxygen remains present.
Excellent
Two-part epoxy
Permabond states that two-component epoxies bond copper well. They suit larger loaded areas and provide more gap tolerance than an instant adhesive. Remove oil and oxide before bonding.
Abrade the surface first.
Good
Cyanoacrylate
Permabond identifies methyl cyanoacrylates as suitable for copper with high shear strength. Use them for small, close-fitting joints; impact or polar-solvent exposure can justify a structural adhesive instead.
Abrade the surface first.
Bonding Copper to something else
Copper to Copper
Copper to EPS (polystyrene foam)
Copper to Polyurethane foam
Copper to XPS foam board
Copper to EVA foam
Last reviewed 8 October 2026.