Lead has a dull luster and is a dense, ductile, very soft, highly malleable, bluish-white metal that has poor electrical conductivity. This true metal is highly resistant to corrosion, and because of this property, it is used to contain corrosive liquids (e.g., sulfuric acid). Because lead is very malleable and resistant to corrosion it is extensively used in building construction, e.g., external coverings of roofing joints. Lead can be toughened by adding a small amount of antimony or other metals to it. It is a common misconception that lead has a zero Thomson effect. All lead, except Pb, is the end product of a complex radioactive decay. Lead is also poisonous.

Applications

Roman lead water pipes with taps
Lead pipe in Roman baths
1. Lead is a major constituent of the lead-acid battery used extensively as a car battery.
2. Lead is used as a coloring element in ceramic glazes, notably in the colors red and yellow.
3. Lead is used to form glazing bars for stained glass or other multi-lit windows. The practice has become less common, not for danger but for stylistic reasons.
4. Lead is frequently used in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which coats electrical cords.
5. Lead is used as projectiles for firearms and fishing sinkers because of its density, low cost compared to alternative products and ease of use due to relatively low melting point.
6. Lead or "sheet-lead" is used as a sound deadening layer in such areas as wall, floor and ceiling design in sound studios where levels of airborne and mechanically produced sound are targeted for reduction or virtual elimination.
7. Lead is used in some candles to treat the wick to ensure a longer, more even burn. Because of the dangers, European and North American manufacturers use more expensive alternatives such as zinc.
8. Lead is used as shielding from radiation, e.g. in x-ray rooms.
9. Molten lead is used as a coolant, eg. for lead cooled fast reactors.
10. Lead glass is composed of 12-28% lead oxide. It changes the optical characteristics of the glass and reduces the transmission of radiation.
11. Lead is the traditional base metal of organ pipes, mixed with varying amounts of tin to control the tone of the pipe.
12. Lead is used as electrodes in the process of electrolysis.
13. Lead is used in solder for electronics, although this usage is being phased out by some countries to reduce the amount of environmentally unfriendly waste.
14. Lead is used in high voltage power cables as sheathing material to prevent water diffusion into insulation.
15. Lead is used for the ballast keel of sailboats. Its high weight-to-volume ratio allows it to counterbalance the heeling effect of wind on the sails while at the same time occupying a small volume and thus offering the least underwater resistance. It does not have the weight-to-volume ratio of many heavy metals, but its low cost increases its use in these and other applications.
16. Lead is added to brass to reduce machine tool wear.
17. Some artists using oil-based paints continue to use lead carbonate white, citing its properties in comparison with the alternatives.
18. Lead, in the form of strips or "tape" is used for the customization of tennis racquets. Tennis racquets of the past sometimes had lead added to them by the manufacturer to increase weight.
19. Lead has many uses in the construction industry, e.g. lead sheets are used as architectural metals in roofing material, cladding, flashings, gutters and gutter joints, and on roof parapets. Detailed lead mouldings are used as decorative motifs used to fix lead sheet.
20. Lead is frequently used in scuba diving weight belts to counteract the diver's natural buoyancy and that of his equipment.
21. Lead is often used to balance the wheels of a car; this use is being phased out in favor of other materials for environmental reasons.
22. Lead is still widely used in statues and sculptures.
23. Tetra-ethyl lead is used as an anti-knock additive for aviation fuel in piston driven aircraft.
24. Lead-based semiconductors, such as lead telluride, lead selenide and lead antimonide are finding applications in photovoltaic (solar energy) cells and infrared detectors.

Former applications

1. Lead pigments were used in lead paint for white as well as yellow, orange, and red. Most have been discontinued due of the dangers of lead poisoning. However, lead chromate is still in industrial use. Lead carbonate (white) is the traditional pigment for the priming medium for oil painting, but it has been largely displaced by the zinc and titanium oxide pigments. It was also quickly replaced in water-based painting mediums.
2. Lead carbonate white was used by the Japanese geisha and in the West for face-whitening make-up, which caused ill-health in the wearer.
3. Lead was the hot metal used in hot metal typesetting.
4. Lead was used for plumbing in Ancient Rome.
5. Lead was used as a preservative for food and drink in Ancient Rome.
6. Lead was used for joining cast iron water pipes and used as a material for small diameter water pipes until the early 1970s.
7. Tetraethyl lead was used in leaded fuels to reduce engine knocking; however, this is no longer common practice in the Western world due to its incompatibility with catalytic converters.
8. The EPA banned the use of lead gasoline for highway transportation, beginning January 1, 1996.
9. Lead has been used to make "clubs" or bats more lethal by melting it into a hole drilled into the top.
10. Lead was used to make bullets for slings.
11. Lead was used as a component of toys. Due to toy safety regulations, this use has been stopped in the United States.
12. Lead was used in car body filler, which was used in many custom cars in the 1940s–60s. Hence the term Leadsled.
13. Lead is a superconductor at 7.2 K and IBM tried to make a Josephson effect computer out of lead-alloy.
14. Lead was also used in pesticides before the 1950s, when fruit orchards were treated (ATSDR).