Brass

Brass is the generic term for a range of copper-zinc alloys with differing combinations of properties, including strength, machinability, ductility, wear-resistance, hardness, colour, antimicrobial, electrical and thermal conductivity, and corrosion-resistance.

Brasses set the standard by which the machinability of other materials is judged and are also available in a very wide variety of product forms and sizes to allow minimum machining to finished dimensions. Brass does not become brittle at low temperatures like mild steel.

Brass also has excellent thermal conductivity making it a first choice heat exchangers (radiators). Its electrical conductivity ranges from 23 to 44% that of pure copper.

Colours of brass
Brasses have a range of attractive colours ranging from red to yellow to gold to silver. With the addition of 1% manganese, brass will weather to a chocolate brown colour. Nickel silvers will polish to a brilliant silver colour. Brasses are easy to shape, and with all these colours available it is not surprising that architects and designers have used brasses to enhance the appearance of new and refurbished buildings, both inside and out.

Brass and hygiene
Copper and brass are playing a leading role in the fight against hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile. It has been shown that these pathogens, which can be spread by touch, will die in a few hours on copper/brass surfaces. This does not happen on stainless steel or plastic.

Recycling Brass
The brass industry throughout the world is well organised and equipped to recycle products at the end of their long lives and process scrap (swarf and offcuts). Making brass from new copper and zinc would be uneconomical and wasteful of raw materials so, since new brass articles are made from recycled scrap, brass is said to be sustainable. In the UK brass manufacturers use almost 100% brass scrap.

Nickel-silver
The range of copper-nickel-zinc alloys containing 10-20% nickel are known as nickel silvers and can be regarded as special brasses. They have an attractive silvery appearance rather than the typical brassy colour. In most respects they show similar corrosion characteristics to the brasses but the higher nickel versions have superior tarnish resistance and resistance to stress corrosion cracking. They are available in all forms and are used for decorative applications, jewellery, model making, toothbrush anchor wire and pins, musical instruments e.g. 'silver bands', flutes etc, ball point refills, ferrules for woodwinds, bagpipes and fishing rods, test probes and Bourdon springs.

For detailed information on brasses - their properties and applications, please see Pub 117.

Publications and Software

To see all publications and software click here.

Pub 117 The Brasses - Properties & Applications
Compositions and properties of standard brasses in wrought and cast condition, together with details of BS and European Standards, forms available, fabrication methods and examples of typical applications. 2005. 64pp.

Pub 44 Machining Brass, Copper and its Alloys
Detailed advice on machining techniques. Guide to choice of speeds and feeds. Comprehensive list of British and European alloys with details of machinability. Advice on the selection of cutting fluids. 1992. 66pp.

Pub 89 Architectural Brass
Highlights the durable and decorative qualities of brass when used for both internal and external architectural applications. Well illustrated with examples of modern usage. 1991. 8pp.

Pub 100 Brass Beats Steel
A compilation of six information sheets produced by CDA Inc., USA detailing the savings made when brass replaced steel for machined components. 1992. 6pp.

Pub 103 Hot Stampings in Copper Alloys
A description of the hot stamping process with advice on design and detailed data on the most commonly used alloys. 1994. 9pp.

Pub 133 Design in Brass
Describes Briefly the many British Standard wrought and cast brasses available. Gives example case histories of applications and machinability comparisons. 1998. 8pp.

Pub 177 Brass in Focus
Brasses are versatile and cost-effective materials, ideal for designing complex and long lasting components. Article by Ken Kempson in May/June 2004 issue of Engineering Designer, 2004, 4pp.

D7 Properties and Availability
This disk lists all the brasses and nickel silvers commonly available in Europe together with their compositions and properties. Near equivalents are indicated and the differences are highlighted. Besides the properties normally specified, the disk includes data on long-term properties above and below ambient temperature and in fatigue conditions. 1994.

D9 Component Costing Comparator
This interactive program enables engineers and designers to quickly estimate the cost of machined components in brass and other materials and to calculate the savings to be made by machining in brass.

CD3 Design in Brass
This CD is an aid to designing cost-effective and recyclable brass components. It contains PowerPoint presentations for practising and undergraduate designers and engineers covering types of brass, production techniques and case studies.