The temper of wire is the hardness or softness of the wire. The temper indicates the malleability of the wire and its ability to hold its shape and to bend fluidly. Wire temper can range from dead soft (which bends with no resistance) to spring hard (which is very resistant to bending).

Dead Soft
Advantages

• Commonly used in jewelry making.
• Easy on your hands.
• Very forgiving: you may actually be able to undo a mistake.
• Use a wire straightening tool to harden dead soft wire.
• Just bending it will make it harder. This process is called work hardening. The more you work the wire the harder it gets.
• Most commonly used for wire wrapping.

Disadvantages

• The wire is so soft it feels flimsy.
• Harder to control.
• Shapes may distort easily.
• Pliers may leave marks.

¼ Hard
Advantages

• Slightly harder than dead soft wire.
• Holds its shape better than dead soft wire.
• You can make harder by "work hardening".

Disadvantages

• Can not soften it without annealing (heating).

Half Hard
Advantages

• Thin gauges (24 gauge ear wires) feel sturdy and hold their shape.
• Still manageable to work with.

Disadvantages

• Heavier gauges require use of nylon coated tools to prevent marring.

Spring Hard
Advantages

• Memory Wire is spring tempered.
• Springs back to its original coil form.

Disadvantages

• Limited usefulness in jewelry making.