Dead soft or soft - Dead soft wire is very malleable, easy to work with and is very widely used by wire wrappers.

Half Hard - This wire has some stiffness to it and is likewise very popular with wire wrappers.

Hard - It is not commonly used with wire wrapping because of its rigidity.

I primarily use dead soft wire. Do not worry that it is too soft for a project for a few reasons:

1. Working with the wire hardens it - the more you wrap, bend and twist, the better it hardens into place.
2. If working with it will not make the wire hard enough, you can work harden it by hammering it with a rawhide or rubber hammer, just gently tap your wired piece over an anvil. The more you work with sterling or other wire, you'll come to know it's strength and weaknesses. You begin to enjoy playing around with wire to create unusual wraps.
3. If you're making a piece of jewelry with a frame, you'll want to use a thick gauge (at least 16) and although dead soft, because of its thickness, the wire is stiff. Many creations start with the outer shell or frame shape which is then wire-wrapped and layered with other wrappings.

Half-hard wire is excellent for making tight, angular bends, for making loops in wire, and for wrapping wire around itself. Finished pieces made with half-hard wire are often more permanent than pieces made with soft wire. Half-hard wire does not do a good job of making spirals. While working with dead soft wire for making framed forms is possible, I like to use half-hard for making a frame that doesn't have a lot of supporting wire work wrapped around the frame. The worked-hardened stiffness added to half-hard wire ensures your shape will continue to hold it's form. This Scrolls of the H eart Necklace is carefully formed with Half-Hard Sterling Wire and wrapped with Dead Soft Sterling wire. Notice the heart frame itself is not completely wrapped all the way through it's frame, it is possible to keep that frame strong by using the half-hard sterling wire.

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