Conductive materials allow charges to move freely across their surfaces or through their volume. Charge placed in one spot on a conductive object will flow around the object so that all parts of the object are equally charged. If a charged conductor is grounded, charges will recombine [move to ground] until the object has no charge. Conductive materials have a low resistance to current flow.

One common misconception is that conductive materials do not generate charges. This is because the dissipation of static charges from grounded conductive material tends to be complete and rapid. Ungrounded conductors can generate and hold static charges.