We theoretically studied electromagnetic wave propagation in a one-dimensional metal/dielectric photonic crystal (1D MDPC) consisting of alternating metallic and dielectric materials by using the transfer matrix method in visible and infrared regions. We have investigated the photonic band gap by using four kinds of metals: silver, lithium, gold and copper. We discuss the details of the calculated results in terms of the thickness of the metallic layer and different kinds of metals, and the plasma frequency. Our results have a potential for applications in optical devices because it is easy and cheap to manufacture. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.