| Property | Metals | Nonmetals | Metalloids |
| Luster | Metals reflects light from their surface and can be polished for example in gold, silver and copper. | Nonmetals does not reflect light. | They are not lustrous. |
| Malleability | Metals can withstand hammering and can be shaped into thin sheets such as foils. | Nonmetals are non-malleable. | Metalloids are not malleable. |
| Ductility | Metals can be inserted into cables. | Nonmetals are not ductile. | Metalloids are not ductile. |
| Thermal conductivity | Metals are good conductors of heat because they have free electrons. | Nonmetals are poor conductors of heat. | Metalloids are semiconductors of heat. |
| Electrical conductivity | Metals such as silver and copper are great conductors of electricity. | Nonmetals are poor conductors of electricity. | Metalloids are semiconductors of electricity. |
| State | Metals are room-temperature solids except for mercury and gallium. | Most of those non-metals occur at room temperature in two of the three states of matter. | Metalloids are solid at room temperature. |
