What Are Flutes Made Of?

It is not uncommon for flutists to have no idea what their flute is actually made of. Even so, it can be interesting and useful to know since the material of an instrument can affect its durability, its tendency to tarnish, and perhaps its sound.

The most common material for flutes to be made of are nickel and silver. In general, beginner flutes are made of nickel, but are silver-plated to prevent tarnishing and improve sound quality. Many intermediate flutes are made of pure silver or sterling silver. At the professional level, flutes may be made of solid silver, sterling silver, gold, or even platinum.

We’re going to discuss the pros and cons of each choice of material and in what kinds of flutes you will commonly find the material.

Nickel flutes

Nickel is a cheap and durable metal, and is the most common material used in beginner flutes. It is more cost-effective than any other metal for making flutes. For the low price of the metal, nickel flutes tend to produce reasonably good sounds. Many flutists will argue that silver flutes sound better than nickel flutes, though others claim that there is no real difference. In general, the craftsmanship of the flute is a better indicator of its sound quality than the material it is made out of.

The biggest drawback to nickel flutes is that they tend to tarnish easily. They also tend to lack luster compared to other metals such as silver, and some flutists are displeased with the aesthetic of a nickel flute. For these two reasons, many flutes that are made of nickel are silver-plated, even at the beginner level. This also improves the quality of the sound. Of course, the problem with doing so is that it tends to significantly increase the price of the flute.

Silver flutes

Silver is the material of choice for intermediate flutes, and many beginner flutes may have silver plating over a nickel body. Silver has an aesthetically pleasing appearance to many and allegedly has a sweeter sound than nickel (though the debate over that topic is endless).

Professional flutes may use silver as well, though often professional-level flutes may include other materials such as gold or platinum. 

One tangible perk to using silver is that it does not tarnish as easily as nickel. Other than the aesthetic (and the alleged improvement in sound quality), this is one of the primary reasons that flute manufacturers will use silver-plating on a nickel flute.

In terms of durability, having a solid silver flute tends to be slightly better than having a flute which is just silver-plating. Plating can wear off over time, while a solid silver flute won’t have this problem.

Sterling silver flutes

Sterling silver is a silver alloy which contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals (usually copper) for the sake of durability and stability. Many flute manufacturers prefer sterling silver over silver due to the additional durability. Pure silver is a relatively soft metal, and a flute which is made of pure silver can easily be damaged.

There is one critical drawback to sterling silver: it tarnishes much more easily than regular silver. The copper in the sterling silver makes it tarnish per exposure to regular oxygen, whereas pure silver generally only tarnishes to hydrogen sulfide.

To deal with the drawbacks of both sterling silver and pure silver, some Japanese manufacturers will use a method called “flash plating.” This involves making the flute out of sterling silver, but using a pure silver plating. This effectively allows the instrument to have the durability benefits of sterling silver while also being as resistant to tarnish as a pure silver flute. 

Sterling silver tends to be found in intermediate-level flutes or higher. Unlike pure silver, it is not common to find sterling silver in beginner flutes because it is less practical to plate a flute with sterling silver. Nonetheless, it is actually slightly cheaper than pure silver.

Gold flutes

Gold is a popular material for professional flutes. The biggest drawback to gold is that it drastically raises the price of a flute. It also carries the problem of having low durability, since gold is an even softer metal than silver.

Many flutists will claim that gold has a richer sound than even silver. However, the high price of gold usually makes it impractical to use as the sole material of an entire flute. More commonly, flutes may have a headjoint or a lip-plate which is made out of gold, while the rest of the flute is made of a different material such as silver. This allows the flute to gain the acoustic benefits of gold while still remaining cost-effective.

In the rare instances where a flute is made entirely of gold, then the flute is always going to be hand-made as opposed to being manufactured. This further serves to drive up the price.

Incidentally, it is rare to have a flute which is gold-plated. The reason for this is that gold plating is so thin that it acoustically cannot improve the quality of sound. The impact of the material on sound is controversial to begin with, but even those who swear by the sound of a gold flute generally refuse to buy a flute which is merely gold-plated. 

If we are strictly concerned with aesthetics, of course, then gold is often preferred over any other metal, and there is no real issue with having a gold-plated flute over a solid gold flute. However, a quality flute should have much more to offer than just its appearance.

Platinum flutes

Platinum flutes are undoubtedly the most expensive out of all the flutes, and prices can easily go into the tens of thousands of dollars. They are also much heavier compared to flutes made of other metals, and are more durable than gold flutes.

Those who have played on platinum flutes tend to say that they have a deeper and richer sound, and that they are more responsive articulation. This may, however, be more a result of the craftsmanship of the flute, since typically only the most reputable flute makers will use platinum in flutes.

Unlike gold, platinum can also be used as plating on flutes with reasonable success. Typically, this will only be done for top-tier professional flutes which are intended to play to the highest level of musicianship possible. Muramatsu is one example of a company which produces professional-grade flutes with platinum plating.

Wooden flutes

Though they are uncommon in the modern concert setting, some flutes are still made out of wood. Before the year 1877, all flutes were made out of wood.

Wooden flutes tend to sound similar to metal flutes, but the wood gives their tone an earthier quality. Wooden piccolos are perhaps more common than wooden soprano flutes, and are used even at advanced levels of musicianship.

One issue with wooden flutes is that they are often not made in the same design as the modern concert flute (with the exception of wooden piccolos). So, it can be difficult to find a wooden flute that you can actually play in a concert setting. There are companies that make them, such as Yamaha, but they are typically handmade and expensive.

Plastic flutes

Plastic flutes are cheap, light-weight, and mass-produced. They tend not to sound like regular flutes at all, but they are extremely cheap and easy to manufacture. If you are planning on buying a flute, I would avoid these, as you won’t get a quality sound and it will probably break easily.

Does the material affect the sound?

Having mentioned the most common materials that flutes are made of, it is also worthwhile to acknowledge whether or not the material actually makes any difference at all with respect to the tone quality.

In short, the material that a flute is made out of may affect the sound minimally, but the craftsmanship which goes into the flute has a much larger impact on the sound than the material.

It is possible to have a professional-quality sound while playing on a flute that is entirely made of nickel. The same goes for any of the other above-mentioned metals. While some will claim that the material makes a big difference, this difference will typically only be noticed by flutists, if at all. 

You might think that the fact that plastic flutes sound different from regular flutes would indicate that the material does actually matter. However, these flutes are generally made with poor design. Any flute which has an effective design can sound good, no matter what material it is made out of.