Construction inflation. Building costs throughout 2011 rose steadily and although theyâre expected to stabilise during 2012 inflationary pressures are nevertheless set to remain as labour wage strains and competitive labour forces continue to affect input costs.
Physical Properties. Metals differ so widely in hardness, ductility (the potentiality of being drawn into wire), malleability, tensile strength, density, and melting point that a definite line of distinction between them and the nonmetals cannot be drawn. The hardest elemental metal is chromium; the softest, cesium.
All elements of the periodic table can be classified as metals or nonmetals, with the exception of a small number of so called metalloids. The main physical and chemical properties that chemically distinguish metals from nonmetals include.etalloids such as boron and silicon are the elements that form a diagonal separation between metals and nonmetals in the periodic table. Metalloids have properties somewhat between those of metals and nonmetals, and they often exhibit some of the characteristic properties of each type.