Is Chlorine a Metal, Nonmetal or Metalloid?
Chlorine (Cl) is a nonmetal (a halogen) — a halogen — a nonmetal of group 17 with seven valence electrons, just one short of a full shell, making it a fierce electron-taker. It sits in group 17, period 3, and is a gas at room temperature.
Teachers call it "one fact, fully handled" — exactly what this page does for Chlorine. The answer sits at the top in bold; scroll for the working, the shell-by-shell breakdown and the two questions students ask most. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Chlorine page is one click away.
The one-line answer, with reasons
Chlorine is a nonmetal (a halogen). Chemists decide by behaviour, not appearance: metals (unlike Chlorine) give up electrons, shine when freshly cut, and conduct heat and electricity; nonmetals take or share electrons and (as solids) break rather than bend. Chlorine follows the nonmetal playbook — placed in the halogen family of the table.
Chlorine's metal/nonmetal report card
| Property | Value | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Halogen | — |
| Phase at room temp | gas | varies |
| Block | p-block | — |
| Group | 17 | — |
| Period | 3 | — |
The family it belongs to
The whole halogen family shares one seating area of the table, and every member's family ID card is one click away — compare Chlorine with its upstairs or downstairs neighbour and the family pattern jumps out.
Students also ask
Is Chlorine a good conductor of electricity?
No — Chlorine is a nonmetal and does not conduct the way metals do.
Can a gas be a nonmetal — like Chlorine?
Yes — being a metal or nonmetal is about bonding and electron behaviour, not state. At room temperature Chlorine is a gas, and that says nothing against its nonmetallic character.