A large number of metals were used by the Harappans for a variety of uses. Copper in its unalloyed form was the most extensively used metal by the Harappans. The main tools made of copper are razors, chisels, knives, arrow-heads, spear heads, celts, hooks, saws, swords, etc. Bronze sculptures are represented by the dancing girl from Mohenjodaro and also by animal figurines of dog, bull, birds, etc.
No doubt, gold, because of its attractive native appearance, was one of the first metals to be sought after by man. Panning or washing of gold dust was probably the principal means employed in ancient times to obtain gold. There is as yet insufficient evidence in the Indian subcontinent to indicate the character and use of gold in pre-Harappan times. With the Indus civilization there is more evidence. Objects of gold are reasonably common, though by no means prolific.
Gold occurs in the form of beads, pendants, amulets, brooches, needles, and other small personal ornaments, including small hollow conical caps with interior soldered loops, doubtless, for use as forehead ornaments, and identical with modern examples. Much of the Indus gold is of light colour indicating a high silver content; or rather it is unrefined electrum. This suggested that it originated from the quartz reefs of Karnataka, rather than from panning.
Silver makes its earliest appearance in the Indus civilization. That it was relatively more common than gold is indicated by the number of large vessels made of silver, and by the frequency of other finds. Beads and smaller ornaments apart, the forms of the utensils almost always repeat those made in copper. A silver buckle found at Harappa with soldered scross pattern of gold wire and gold- capped beads, and a boss of silver inlaid with conch- shell are among finer examples of workmanship. The Indus cities also provide testimony that lead – often found in association with silver-was imported in ingot form, and occasionally used for manufacturing objects such as vases or plumb- bobs.
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Lead, arsenic, antimony and nickel were also used by the Harappan people. Arsenic was used to increase the hardness of artefacts by alloying it with copper. Arsenic could have been used as a deoxidizer for closed castings, or may have been added to increase hardness. The Harappans also used nickel, arsenic and lead alloying.
The splendid copper and bronze vessels which are among the outstanding examples of the Harappan metal crafts were manufactured by hammering over a given shape. In the Late Harappan period an additional technique, that of lapping or joining two parts to make a composite jar, appears. There is little doubt that such special objects as the cast bronze figures of people or animals, or the little model carts were the products of specialist’s workshops in one or other of the cities.
These products of the casting of copper and bronze illustrate that the process was well understood throughout the Harappan period. Copper bun-shaped ingots are among the finds. Kilns of bricks have been discovered at a number of places and some of them were probably associated with copper-working. Actual copper minerals (e.g. chrysocolla, chalcopyrite, malachite, etc.) are rare at Harappan phase sites.
In the core areas of the greater Indus valley other metal minerals, such as haematite, antimony, cinnabar, cerussite, galena and an unidentified type of lead, are recently recovered from excavations at Harappa. Although some of these metallic ores may have been used in copper smelting and alloying processes, they may have been used for other purposes, such as for colorants, cosmetics, medicines or even poisons.
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Except for the site of Shortughai, where there is evidence for gold processing, most of the indicators for metal processing (viz. fragments of ores, kilns, slag, tools and metal objects both finished and semi finished) at Harappan sites are associated with copper processing. Copper or copper alloys can be divided into four categories: (1) crude copper (derived from smelting and rich in sulphur), (2) refined copper, (3) arsenical bronze, and (4) tin bronze. No objects of native copper have been identified as yet. No confirmed iron objects or brass objects have been reported from Harappan phase sites.