中国紫铜加工材按成分可分为：普通紫铜(T1、T2、T3、T4)、无氧铜（TU1、TU2和高纯、真空无氧铜）、脱氧铜（TUP、TUMn）、添加少量合金元素的特种铜（砷铜、碲铜、银铜）四类。紫铜的电导率和热导率仅次于银，广泛用于制作导电、导热器材。紫铜在大气、海水和某些非氧化性酸（盐酸、稀硫酸）、碱、盐溶液及多种有机酸（醋酸、柠檬酸）中，有良好的耐蚀性，用于化学工业。另外，紫铜有良好的焊接性，可经冷、热塑性加工制成各种半成品和成品。20世纪70年代，紫铜的产量超过了其他各类铜合金的总产量。

The temperature control function of the air conditioner and the refrigerator is mainly realized by the evaporation and condensation of the copper tube of the heat exchanger. The size and heat transfer performance of heat exchange heat transfer tube determine the efficiency and miniaturization of the whole air conditioner and refrigeration device to a great extent. In these machines, the special-shaped copper tubes with high thermal conductivity are used. With the good processing performance of steel, the heat pipe with inner groove and high fin has been developed and produced recently, which is used to manufacture heat exchanger in air conditioner, refrigerator, chemical industry and waste heat collector. The total heat transfer coefficient of the new heat exchanger can be increased to 2-3 times of that of the common pipe and 1.2-1.3 times of that of the common low fin pipe. It has been used in China and can save 40% of copper, The volume of heat exchanger is reduced by more than 1 / 3.

By analyzing the history and characteristics of copper application and development, it can be concluded that the development of new alloys with new functions and characteristics and the research of new material forming technology are two basic ways to develop new application fields of copper alloy materials and meet the new needs of sustainable development of human society. Based on the traditional copper and its alloy system, the research and development direction of high-performance copper alloy materials at present mainly includes four aspects: high purification, microalloying, complex multi-element alloying and composite material.