What property of metals allows them to be drawn out into a wire?

Ductility is the property of metals that allows them to be drawn out into a wire. This characteristic is crucial for processes like wire drawing, where a metal is elongated and shaped without breaking. Ductility relates to the ability of a material to undergo significant plastic deformation before rupture, which means that metals can be stretched into long, thin wires while maintaining their structural integrity.

In contrast, malleability refers to a metal's ability to deform under compression, enabling it to be shaped into sheets rather than drawn into wires. Tensile strength is a measure of how much force a material can withstand when being pulled or stretched, but it doesn't directly determine how easily a metal can be drawn into wire. Conductivity describes how well a material can conduct electricity, which is a separate property and does not influence the ability to form wires from metals. Thus, ductility is the defining property for this capability, allowing for the practical application of metals in electrical and construction materials where wire formation is essential.