Class of substances which are crystalline when solid and many of which are opaque, ductile, malleable, dense and good conductors of heat and electricity. Manufacture of basic metals in the International Standard Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 3, comprises division 3 and includes the ferrous metals iron and steel, the precious metals gold, silver and members of the platinum group, and other non-ferrous base metals such as copper, lead, chrome, manganese, zinc, aluminium, nickel and tin and alloys of such metals. CPC Vers. 1: Basic metals (division 41).