Neutron Cross Section of the Elements

The neutron cross section (σ) expresses the likelihood of interaction between an incident neutron and a target nucleus. Combined with neutron flux, it enables calculation of reaction rates — for example, the thermal power of a nuclear reactor. The standard unit is the barn (b), equal to 10⁻²⁸ m². A larger cross section means a greater probability of reaction.

Data available for 98 of 118 elements. Highest: Gadolinium (49000). Lowest: Oxygen (0.00028).

Visualize Neutron Cross Section in the periodic table →

118 elements

Neutron Cross Section of the Elements
		Symbol
64	Gadolinium	Gd	49000
61	Promethium	Pm	8400
62	Samarium	Sm	5900
100	Fermium	Fm	5800
63	Europium	Eu	4570
98	Californium	Cf	2900
48	Cadmium	Cd	2450
66	Dysprosium	Dy	950
89	Actinium	Ac	880
5	Boron	B	760
97	Berkelium	Bk	710
77	Iridium	Ir	425
80	Mercury	Hg	374
91	Protactinium	Pa	200
49	Indium	In	194
93	Neptunium	Np	180
68	Erbium	Er	165
99	Einsteinium	Es	160
45	Rhodium	Rh	145
69	Thulium	Tm	105
72	Hafnium	Hf	104
79	Gold	Au	98.7
75	Rhenium	Re	90
71	Lutetium	Lu	85
95	Americium	Am	74
3	Lithium	Li	71
67	Holmium	Ho	64
47	Silver	Ag	63.6
96	Curium	Cm	60
60	Neodymium	Nd	49
27	Cobalt	Co	37.2
17	Chlorine	Cl	35.3
70	Ytterbium	Yb	35
55	Cesium	Cs	29
21	Scandium	Sc	27.2
36	Krypton	Kr	25
54	Xenon	Xe	25
65	Terbium	Tb	23
43	Technetium	Tc	22
73	Tantalum	Ta	20.5
74	Tungsten	W	18.4
76	Osmium	Os	15
25	Manganese	Mn	13.3
88	Radium	Ra	13
34	Selenium	Se	11.7
59	Praseodymium	Pr	11.4
78	Platinum	Pt	10
57	Lanthanum	La	8.98
92	Uranium	U	7.57
90	Thorium	Th	7.4
46	Palladium	Pd	6.9
35	Bromine	Br	6.8
53	Iodine	I	6.3
22	Titanium	Ti	6.1
51	Antimony	Sb	5.4
52	Tellurium	Te	5.4
23	Vanadium	V	5.06
28	Nickel	Ni	4.5
33	Arsenic	As	4.2
29	Copper	Cu	3.78
81	Thallium	Tl	3.4
24	Chromium	Cr	3.1
31	Gallium	Ga	2.9
42	Molybdenum	Mo	2.6
44	Ruthenium	Ru	2.6
26	Iron	Fe	2.56
32	Germanium	Ge	2.2
19	Potassium	K	2.1
7	Nitrogen	N	1.91
94	Plutonium	Pu	1.7
56	Barium	Ba	1.3
39	Yttrium	Y	1.28
38	Strontium	Sr	1.2
41	Niobium	Nb	1.15
30	Zinc	Zn	1.1
86	Radon	Rn	0.7
18	Argon	Ar	0.66
50	Tin	Sn	0.62
58	Cerium	Ce	0.6
11	Sodium	Na	0.53
16	Sulfur	S	0.52
84	Polonium	Po	0.5
20	Calcium	Ca	0.43
37	Rubidium	Rb	0.38
1	Hydrogen	H	0.332
13	Aluminum	Al	0.233
40	Zirconium	Zr	0.184
15	Phosphorus	P	0.18
82	Lead	Pb	0.171
14	Silicon	Si	0.166
12	Magnesium	Mg	0.063
10	Neon	Ne	0.04
83	Bismuth	Bi	0.034
9	Fluorine	F	0.0096
4	Beryllium	Be	0.0092
2	Helium	He	0.007
6	Carbon	C	0.0035
8	Oxygen	O	0.00028
85	Astatine	At	—
87	Francium	Fr	—
101	Mendelevium	Md	—
102	Nobelium	No	—
103	Lawrencium	Lr	—
104	Rutherfordium	Rf	—
105	Dubnium	Db	—
106	Seaborgium	Sg	—
107	Bohrium	Bh	—
108	Hassium	Hs	—
109	Meitnerium	Mt	—
110	Darmstadtium	Ds	—
111	Roentgenium	Rg	—
112	Copernicium	Cn	—
113	Nihonium	Nh	—
114	Flerovium	Fl	—
115	Moscovium	Mc	—
116	Livermorium	Lv	—
117	Tennessine	Ts	—
118	Oganesson	Og	—

Neutron Cross Section of the Elements

Related properties