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Brass Plating

Electroplating & electroless plating · Electrolytic bath

Brass plating co-deposits copper and zinc to give steel, zinc die castings, or copper alloys a yellow decorative surface.

CNC machiningSheet metalCastingPremium cost $$$Conductive
Request Brass plate on a partCompare electroplating & electroless plating

Reference page — Brass plate is not in the instant-quote configurator. Upload the part, name the finish in the notes, and an engineer quotes it with the part.

Brass Plating on a machined part

What is Brass plate?

It is normally clear-coated because unprotected brass tarnishes.

How it works

The prepared part is cathodically plated from an electrolyte containing copper and zinc complexes. Bath composition and current density control alloy ratio and therefore color from pale yellow to reddish brass. Copper and nickel underplates improve adhesion and leveling. Throwing power is limited, so edge color and recess color can differ. A lacquer, wax, or electrophoretic clearcoat usually seals the finish.

Why specify it

  • Real metallic brass appearance
  • Typical 2–10 µm decorative deposit
  • Color can be tuned by copper-zinc ratio
  • Works over low-cost steel or zinc die castings

Where it falls short

  • Tarnishes rapidly without clearcoat
  • Color varies with current density and alloy ratio
  • Soft surface wears through
  • Not a primary outdoor corrosion system

Brass plate at a glance

Brass plate is strongest on cosmetic quality (88 of 100), at a premium cost.

Corrosion protectionFair35 / 100
Surface hardnessFair44 / 100
Cosmetic qualityExcellent88 / 100
LubricityLow25 / 100
Relative costPremium48 / 100
CorrosionHardnessCosmeticLubricityEconomy

Each score is 0–100 against every finish in this catalog. Corrosion comes from salt-spray life (ASTM B117, log scale) and hardness from the finish layer's Vickers or pencil hardness; cosmetic, lubricity and cost are FabDigit's engineering assessment. Economy on the radar is the inverse of cost.

Brass plate key numbers

Typical values from the governing specifications and shop practice; bars are this finish against the highest value among electroplating & electroless plating finishes.

Thickness2–10 µm0.08–0.39 mil
Hardness100–250 HV
Thickness
2–5 µm decorative brass over copper or nickel underplate; thicker deposits for subsequent antiquing
Hardness
100–250 HV — Varies with copper-zinc alloy composition and deposit structure.
Electrical
Conductive
Colours
  • yellow brass
  • red brass
  • antique brass
Appearance
Bright yellow-gold to reddish brass, often brushed, antiqued, and clear-coated.

Where Brass plate sits among all finishes

Surface hardness (Vickers, log scale) against corrosion protection (salt-spray hours, log scale) for every coating FabDigit offers, one cloud per finish group. Brass plate is highlighted; hover a dot for its name or open the full map.

02550751000255075100Corrosion protection (0–100)Surface hardness (HV, log scale, 0–100)Plating — 19 finishesHard coatings — 17 finishesAnodize & conversion — 8 finishesPaint & powder — 7 finisheshard, low corrosion protectionhard and protectiveprotective, softsoft, little protectionType II anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 54BSA anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 52Type I anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 49Hard anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 61PTFE hard anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 61Nitriding — corrosion 55, hardness 73PEO — corrosion 70, hardness 74Sherardizing — corrosion 83, hardness 56Bronze plate — corrosion 40, hardness 49Cadmium plate — corrosion 70, hardness 26Copper plate — corrosion 32, hardness 39Decorative chrome — corrosion 64, hardness 71Electroless copper — corrosion 20, hardness 41Electroless nickel — corrosion 70, hardness 68Nickel plate — corrosion 51, hardness 55Gold plate — corrosion 68, hardness 39Hard chrome — corrosion 40, hardness 73Hot-dip zinc — corrosion 90, hardness 42Nickel-PTFE — corrosion 72, hardness 57Silver plate — corrosion 55, hardness 39Solder plate — corrosion 42, hardness 9Tin plate — corrosion 34, hardness 0Zinc plate — corrosion 60, hardness 30Zinc-nickel — corrosion 86, hardness 60Cerakote — corrosion 83, hardness 27E-coat — corrosion 83, hardness 15Epoxy coat — corrosion 83, hardness 15Powder coat — corrosion 83, hardness 14Wet paint — corrosion 59, hardness 10AlCrN PVD — corrosion 58, hardness 93AlTiN PVD — corrosion 52, hardness 94CrN PVD — corrosion 62, hardness 83DLC — corrosion 55, hardness 93MoS2 PVD — corrosion 20, hardness 26TiAlN PVD — corrosion 50, hardness 93TiCN PVD — corrosion 40, hardness 92TiB2 PVD — corrosion 40, hardness 94TiN PVD — corrosion 45, hardness 87WC/C PVD — corrosion 48, hardness 77ZrN PVD — corrosion 52, hardness 90CVD alumina — corrosion 70, hardness 85CVD TiCN — corrosion 38, hardness 92CVD TiN — corrosion 45, hardness 87Multilayer CVD — corrosion 62, hardness 88HVOF coating — corrosion 78, hardness 77Plasma spray — corrosion 60, hardness 68Plastic chrome — corrosion 72, hardness 71Electroless plastic — corrosion 58, hardness 39Clear coat — corrosion 20, hardness 12Soft-touch — corrosion 20, hardness 5PLATINGHARD COATINGSANODIZE & CONVERSIONPAINT & POWDERBronze plateGold plateType II anodizePowder coatZinc plateZinc-nickelHard chromeDLCTiN PVDTin plateCadmium plateE-coatCerakoteWet paintHot-dip zincNitridingHVOF coatingBrass plate — corrosion 35, hardness 44Brass plate
02550751000255075100Corrosion protection (0–100)Surface hardness (HV, log scale, 0–100)Plating — 19 finishesHard coatings — 17 finishesAnodize & conversion — 8 finishesPaint & powder — 7 finishesType II anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 54BSA anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 52Type I anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 49Hard anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 61PTFE hard anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 61Nitriding — corrosion 55, hardness 73PEO — corrosion 70, hardness 74Sherardizing — corrosion 83, hardness 56Bronze plate — corrosion 40, hardness 49Cadmium plate — corrosion 70, hardness 26Copper plate — corrosion 32, hardness 39Decorative chrome — corrosion 64, hardness 71Electroless copper — corrosion 20, hardness 41Electroless nickel — corrosion 70, hardness 68Nickel plate — corrosion 51, hardness 55Gold plate — corrosion 68, hardness 39Hard chrome — corrosion 40, hardness 73Hot-dip zinc — corrosion 90, hardness 42Nickel-PTFE — corrosion 72, hardness 57Silver plate — corrosion 55, hardness 39Solder plate — corrosion 42, hardness 9Tin plate — corrosion 34, hardness 0Zinc plate — corrosion 60, hardness 30Zinc-nickel — corrosion 86, hardness 60Cerakote — corrosion 83, hardness 27E-coat — corrosion 83, hardness 15Epoxy coat — corrosion 83, hardness 15Powder coat — corrosion 83, hardness 14Wet paint — corrosion 59, hardness 10AlCrN PVD — corrosion 58, hardness 93AlTiN PVD — corrosion 52, hardness 94CrN PVD — corrosion 62, hardness 83DLC — corrosion 55, hardness 93MoS2 PVD — corrosion 20, hardness 26TiAlN PVD — corrosion 50, hardness 93TiCN PVD — corrosion 40, hardness 92TiB2 PVD — corrosion 40, hardness 94TiN PVD — corrosion 45, hardness 87WC/C PVD — corrosion 48, hardness 77ZrN PVD — corrosion 52, hardness 90CVD alumina — corrosion 70, hardness 85CVD TiCN — corrosion 38, hardness 92CVD TiN — corrosion 45, hardness 87Multilayer CVD — corrosion 62, hardness 88HVOF coating — corrosion 78, hardness 77Plasma spray — corrosion 60, hardness 68Plastic chrome — corrosion 72, hardness 71Electroless plastic — corrosion 58, hardness 39Clear coat — corrosion 20, hardness 12Soft-touch — corrosion 20, hardness 5PLATINGHARD COATINGSANODIZE & CONVERSIONPAINT & POWDERBronze plateGold platePowder coatZinc plateBrass plate — corrosion 35, hardness 44Brass plate
Anodize & conversionPlatingPaint & powderHard coatings

Specifications for Brass plate

The documents a drawing cites to define this finish, with the Type / Class rows that apply. Each links to a page explaining the standard.

Drawing call-out

BRASS PLATE, 5 µm MIN OVER 10 µm MIN BRIGHT NICKEL; SATIN YELLOW-BRASS COLOR TO APPROVED SAMPLE; CLEAR LACQUER TOPCOAT

Which materials take Brass plate?

Verdict per material family, with the grades that behave differently. Each family links to its datasheets in the material library.

Material familyVerdictNotes
Brass
YesCommon decorative and electrical substrate after cleaning.
Copper Alloy
YesReadily plated after cleaning.
Steel
YesCommon over copper/nickel underplate.
Aluminum
With careRequires zincate and multilayer underplating.
DMLS / SLM
With careMetal AM parts can be plated after density, powder, and porosity review.
Stainless Steel
With careNeeds activation and a nickel or other strike over the passive film.
Zinc Alloy
With careDie castings require strike and leveling layers.
Magnesium Alloy
LimitedHighly reactive; needs a qualified pretreatment and is rarely plated this way.
Polymer
LimitedOnly plateable resins after etch, catalyst, and electroless metallization.
SLA
LimitedOnly if the resin is qualified for metallization; most SLA parts are not.
Titanium
LimitedPossible only with specialized activation; not a routine job-shop sequence.
FDM
NoFused-filament polymers are not a standard plating substrate.
MJF
NoPorous nylon powder-bed parts are not a standard plating substrate.
SLS
NoPorous nylon powder-bed parts are not a standard plating substrate.

How Brass plate is applied, and what it does to the part

  1. 1Polish
  2. 2Clean
  3. 3Copper or nickel underplate
  4. 4Brass alloy plate
  5. 5Rinse
  6. 6Antique or brush if specified
  7. 7Clearcoat
  8. 8Approve color
DimensionsAccount for copper/nickel underplate, 2–10 µm brass, and clearcoat on each visible side.
Build-up per side7–25 µm — Total includes typical underplate plus 2–10 µm brass and optional clearcoat.
MaskingUsually needed. Mask threads, fits, contact surfaces under insulating lacquer, and rack-contact locations.
ElectricalConductive
AppearanceBright yellow-gold to reddish brass, often brushed, antiqued, and clear-coated.
Added lead time5–10 working days on top of the bare part

Design rules for Brass plate

What to decide on the drawing before the part goes to the finisher.

  1. Approve a color master.Copper-zinc ratio and current density shift hue.
  2. Specify clearcoat gloss.Bare brass tarnishes and fingerprints quickly.
  3. Finish substrate before plating.Thin metallic layers reproduce scratches and waviness.
  4. Hide rack contacts.Electrical contact interrupts the decorative deposit.

Brass plate versus the alternatives

Finishes engineers weigh against Brass plate, and when each wins.

FinishCorrosionHardnessCosmeticCostThicknessChoose it when
Brass plate
this page
354488$$$2–10 µm—
Bronze Plating
Brass plate vs Bronze Plating →
404988$$$2–10 µmwhen a warmer red-brown decorative metal is wanted
Gold Plating
Brass plate vs Gold Plating →
683992$$$$0.5–5 µmwhen tarnish-free electrical performance is required
CorrosionHardnessCosmeticLubricityEconomy
Brass plateBronze Plating

The radar overlays Brass plate with Bronze Plating, its most common alternative — chosen when a warmer red-brown decorative metal is wanted. Scores in the table are 0–100 across every finish in the catalog.

Cost, lead time and compliance

Relative cost

Brass Plating is a premium-cost finish ($$$): more expensive than about 55 % of the finishes FabDigit quotes.

Finishing is priced per part with a lot minimum, from FabDigit's own China-side rates. The exact figure appears on the instant quote once the part is uploaded.

Lead time and compliance

Added lead time5–10 working days
RoHSCompliant
NotesSpecify lead-free brass chemistry and a compliant clearcoat; bath chemistry requires copper and zinc wastewater controls.

What Brass plate is used for

  • Furniture hardware
  • Lighting trim
  • Decorative knobs
  • Architectural fittings

Brass plate — frequently asked

what is brass plating

Brass plating electrodeposits a copper-zinc alloy, usually 2–10 µm, over a prepared metal and often an underplate. It creates real metallic brass color rather than paint.

does brass plating tarnish

Yes, exposed copper-zinc alloy darkens and fingerprints in air. A clear lacquer or e-coat is normally applied after plating.

can you brass plate steel

Yes, after cleaning and usually copper or nickel underplating. Total buildup exceeds the 2–10 µm brass layer because the underplate supplies leveling and corrosion resistance.

brass plating vs gold plating

Brass plating is much less costly and gives a similar yellow decorative color, but it tarnishes and is not a reliable contact finish. Gold remains oxidation-free and is specified by purity, hardness, and 0.5–5 µm thickness.

how thick is brass plating

Decorative brass is commonly 2–5 µm and may reach about 10 µm for antiquing or heavier coverage. State underplate and clearcoat separately.