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Since Pd was for the longest time rather stable in price it was looked at as a substitute for the more expensive gold. This was followed by a steep increase in the Pd price which caused a significant reduction in its use in electrical contacts. Today (2011) the Pd price again is lower than that of gold.
Alloys of Pt with Ru, Ir, Ni, and W were widely used in electromechanical components in the telecommunication industry and in heavy duty automotive breaker points <xr id="tabfig:Physical Properties of platinum metals"/> (Tab. 2.7).
<figtable figure id="tab:Physical Properties of platinum metals">
[[File:Physical Properties of platinum metals.jpg|right|thumb|Physical Properties of the Platinum Metals and their Alloys]]
</figtablefigure>
Today these components have been replaced in many applications by solid state technology and the usage of these materials is greatly reduced. Pd alloys however have a more significant importance. PdCu15 is widely used for example in automotive flasher relays. Because of their resistance to sulfide formation PdAg alloys are applied in various relay designs. The ability to thermally precipitation harden some multi component alloys based on PdAgAuPt they find special usage in wear resistant sliding contact applications. Pd44Ag38Cu15PtAuZn is a standard alloy in this group <xr id="tab:Mechanical_Properties_of_the_Platinum_Metals_and_their_Alloys"/> (Tab 2.8) und <xr id="tab:Contact_and_Switching_Properties_of_the_Platinum_Metals_and_their_Alloys"/> (Tab. 2.9)
