Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids
By the Periodixy Editorial Team · Last reviewed July 10, 2026
Every element belongs to one of three broad families: metals, nonmetals, or the in-between metalloids. The split is visible right on the periodic table — a staircase line running from boron down to astatine separates the metallic majority (left) from the nonmetals (upper right).
Metals: the majority
Around three quarters of the elements are metals. Typical properties:
- Shiny (lustrous) when fresh or polished
- Conduct heat and electricity well
- Malleable (hammer into sheets) and ductile (draw into wire)
- Mostly solid at room temperature — mercury is the famous liquid exception
- Tend to lose electrons and form positive ions (cations)
Examples span from soft, water-reactive sodium to the workhorse iron and precious gold.
Nonmetals: small in number, huge in importance
Nonmetals cluster in the upper right, plus hydrogen. They are chemically the opposite of metals:
- Dull, brittle solids or gases (bromine is the liquid exception)
- Poor conductors — good insulators
- Tend to gain or share electrons, forming negative ions (anions) or covalent bonds
- Include life's core elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur
Metalloids: the staircase in-betweeners
Along the metal-nonmetal border sit the metalloids — usually listed as boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony and tellurium (sometimes polonium). They look metallic but conduct electricity only weakly — and controllably, which is exactly what electronics need. Silicon, the metalloid in computer chips, is the defining example of a semiconductor.
Quick comparison
| Property | Metals | Metalloids | Nonmetals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance | shiny | shiny-ish | dull |
| Conductivity | high | semiconductor | poor |
| Malleability | malleable/ductile | brittle | brittle (solids) |
| Ion behaviour | form + ions | varies | form − ions / covalent |
| Table position | left & centre | staircase | upper right + H |
Use the category filter on the interactive periodic table to light up each family and see the staircase for yourself.
Summary
- Metals: shiny, conductive, malleable, form positive ions — left and centre of the table.
- Nonmetals: dull, insulating, form negative ions or covalent bonds — upper right plus hydrogen.
- Metalloids: border elements with semiconductor behaviour — the basis of electronics.
- The staircase line from boron to astatine marks the boundary.