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Aluminum wire has an advantage over copper wire in that it is cheaper.
This is why it is often used for mains cable when the price of copper is high (generally with copper tails).
As aluminum is more brittle than copper, minimum cable sizes must be followed to ensure proper termination (ASNZS:3000:2007).
Aluminium is more susceptible to oxidation than copper. As a result, aluminum cable must be treated with an anti-oxidising coating when doing cable joins.
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