ForMatter/Materials/metal/Palladium 950 (Pd950)
mat_palladium_pd950

Palladium 950 (Pd950)

precious metal alloy, palladium standard · Pd950, 950 palladium, Pd-Ru jewelry
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

95% palladium, the platinum-group sibling that's lighter and cheaper than platinum and naturally white without nickel. Hallmarked .950 in the UK since 2010, popular in the eurozone, less established in the U.S. market. Roughly half the weight of platinum at the same volume, comparable hardness, easier to work at the bench. The choice when you want the platinum look without the platinum density or price.

Pd 95.0 / Ru 5.0 typical (Cu and Ga variants exist). Face-centered-cubic, density 12.0 g/cm³ — about 56% the density of platinum and ~22% lighter than 18k yellow gold by volume. Liquidus ~1530 °C; works hotter than white gold but cooler than platinum. Vickers ~115 HV cast. Surface-passivates with PdO and resists tarnish; trace hydrogen absorption is real but rarely consequential at jewelry-scale.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_annealed270
  • hardness_vickers_annealed115
  • hardness_vickers_cold_worked180
  • density_kg_m312000
source: Cookson Precious Metals technical bulletin; ASM Handbook

thermal

  • liquidus_c1530
  • solidus_c1480
source: Cookson technical reference

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg18000
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • embodied carbon recycled kg co2e per kg900
  • recyclabilityvery high — refiner-recoverable; Pd is independently economically valuable
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsLBMA / RJC applicable, EU Nickel Directive compliant
  • localityprimary mining concentrated in Russia (Norilsk) and South Africa
visual
neutral white close to platinum, slightly grayer than rhodium-plated white gold
tactile
stiff at the bench, surprisingly light for a precious metal — the hand notices
weight perception
moderate-heavy

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere metallic finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      metallic
albedo        #c8c8cc
metallic      1.00
roughness     0.25
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#c8c8cc",
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Palladium 950 (Pd950) · finish: metallic
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_palladium_pd950")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.5776, 0.5776, 0.6038, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Palladium 950 (Pd950) · finish: metallic
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_palladium_pd950", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (200, 200, 204))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     1.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Palladium 950 (Pd950) \u00b7 finish: metallic",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.5776,
    "g": 0.5776,
    "b": 0.6038
  },
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_palladium_pd950",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.5776,
          0.5776,
          0.6038,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 1.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.25
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Palladium 950 (Pd950) · finish: metallic
def Material "mat_palladium_pd950" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_palladium_pd950/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.5776, 0.5776, 0.6038)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 1.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.250
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessBrazing · Laser Cutting · SLA 3D Printing (Stereolithography) · CNC Milling
Substitutes
Platinum 950 (Pt950)
18k White Gold (Palladium-Whitened)

Citations