These may include conductivity, solderability, permeability, thickness, and weight. Shielding effectiveness, that is, how well a shield reflects or absorbs/suppresses electromagnetic radiation, is affected by the physical properties of the metal. Common sheet metals for shielding include copper, brass, nickel, silver, steel, and tin. Typical materials used for electromagnetic shielding include sheet metal, metal screen, and metal foam. The amount of reduction depends very much upon the material used, its thickness, the size of the shielded volume and the frequency of the fields of interest and the size, shape and orientation of holes in a shield to an incident electromagnetic field. A conductive enclosure used to block electrostatic fields is also known as a Faraday cage. The shielding can reduce the coupling of radio waves, electromagnetic fields, and electrostatic fields. Electromagnetic shielding that blocks radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation is also known as RF shielding. Shielding is typically applied to enclosures to isolate electrical devices from their surroundings, and to cables to isolate wires from the environment through which the cable runs.
In electrical engineering, electromagnetic shielding is the practice of reducing the electromagnetic field in a space by blocking the field with barriers made of conductive or magnetic materials.
Electromagnetic shielding cages inside a disassembled mobile phone.