Copper has been used in electrical wiring for over 100 years because it is a great electrical conductor. According to Wikipedia, “electrical conductivity is a measure of how well a material transports electrical charge.” In wires and cables, a variety of copper conductors exist out in the market such as solid, stranded, copper-clad steel, and OFC. But what is OFC? What is OFC cable used for?
What does OFC mean? 
OFC stands for oxygen-free copper. The Unified Numbering System (UNS) is a system that categorizes metals and alloys and lists their chemical compositions and/or other properties.
The UNS has three classifications for OFC:
- Oxygen-free electronic (OFE)/C10100: This copper composition has around 0.0005% of oxygen content in it.
- Oxygen-free (OF)/C10200: Its oxygen content is 0.001%.
- Electrolytic-tough-pitch (ETP)/(C11000): It has 0.02%-0.04% oxygen content in it.
Although these coppers are called oxygen-free, it is impossible for them to be completely oxygen-free. Though minimal, there is always going to be an amount of oxygen in them. The process of making these coppers is what makes copper oxygen-free. OFE is made in a carefully regulated oxygen-free environment. Because of its more extensive manufacturing process, OFE is the most expensive of the three coppers. ETP is the most common copper. There are many applications and uses for oxygen-free copper.
What are the Advantages of OFC?
There are three reasons why oxygen is removed from copper.
Purity
The first reason is to have copper that is composed of nearly 100% pure copper. The composition of the metal is what is important. For example, oxygen-free copper is needed in the manufacture of superconductors, transistor component bases, and vacuum seals. This is because they do not want any impurities in the copper to inadvertently react with other chemicals.
Conductivity 
The second reason is to improve copper’s electrical conductivity. Another use for OFC is conductors for audio cables. In audio cables with OFC conductors, there are fewer impurities in the copper conductor. With OFC wire you will have increased conductivity to carry more current to your amplifier.
Corrosion Resistance
Other than purity and conductivity improvement, OFC speaker wire has much higher corrosion resistance than the CCA speaker wire.
Some people would argue that the difference between OFC and regular copper is not discernable. This “difference” would not affect sound quality at all. Others offer the counterargument that OFC conductors in audio cables have additional benefits. These benefits include lower corrosion rates and higher thermal conductivity, which means a lower risk of overheating, and fire.
Syston Cable’s Audio Cable is made of OFC Oxygen Free Copper, ensuring high fidelity sound quality and providing maximum’s conductivity and durability without paying the additional cost. The product goes through many stages of testing to ensure the highest performance and reliability of the products.
As always we are here to help, and if you have any questions about any Syston Cable products, please feel free to contact us via our website or Facebook page.
**Written by Syston Cable team**
Resources:
Wikipedia
Wisegeek
Copper.org
Sonic Electronicshre