Lead has a blue-gray color. It is the softest and heaviest of the common metals. It is very malleable and ductile, but has no elastic strength, and its tensile strength is so low that it cannot be drawn readily into fine wires. It is a poor conductor of heat and electricity. On account of its softness it can be readily squeezed through a press and thus shaped into rods or pipes. It melts at about 600° F.

The best grade of commercial lead should be 99.5% pure.