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.
Physical Properties of Non-metals. Below are the properties of non metals: Physical state: Most of the non-metals exist in two of the three states of matter at room temperature: gases (oxygen) and solids (carbon). These have no metallic lustre, and do not reflect light. Nature: Non-metals are very brittle, and cannot be rolled into wires or pounded into sheets.