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Brass

Brass is copper with 5–40 % zinc, plus lead for machining or a little tin for seawater. Below about 37 % zinc it is single-phase alpha brass — soft, ductile (C26000 cartridge brass stretches 65 %) and the best deep-drawing metal there is; above that the harder beta phase appears and the alloy hot-forges and machines better but bends worse. Add 3 % lead and you have C36000, the 100 % reference on the machinability scale. Yield runs from about 100 MPa annealed to 400 MPa in hard strip, all of it from cold work.

Popular brass grades

Compare in the explorer
GradeYield, MPaTensile, MPaDensity, g/cm³MachinabilityWeldabilityBest for
C360003103858.5ExcellentPoorFree-cutting fittings and turned parts
C260001053258.53PoorFairDeep-drawn shells and stampings
C464001723808.41FairFairNaval brass for seawater shafts and fittings
C353003454208.47Very goodPoorLeaded brass that still forms and knurls
C280001453728.39GoodFairMuntz metal plate, tube sheets, panels
C385001704158.47ExcellentPoorArchitectural extrusions and handrails
C22000832758.8PoorFairCommercial bronze trim, screens, jewellery

All 66 brass grades

Choose brass for

High-volume turned and screw-machine parts, valve bodies and plumbing fittings, gears and worm wheels in light duty, cartridge cases and deep-drawn shells, radiator and heat-exchanger cores, musical instruments, locks, hinges and decorative hardware that is plated or lacquered.

Look elsewhere when

The part sees ammonia, amines or acidic condensate (season cracking — use C51000 phosphor bronze or C70600 copper-nickel), it sits in seawater below the waterline (C63000 aluminum bronze or C70600), it must be welded (C65500 silicon bronze), strength above 400 MPa is needed (C17200 or C63000), or the customer requires lead-free — then C69300 silicon brass replaces C36000.

Yield strength against electrical conductivity, Brass among every copper alloy grade

No materials in view have both of these properties.

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Brass by application

Screw-machine and turned parts
C36000 in half-hard bar: no burr, mirror finish, ±0.02 mm routine. C35300 or C34500 when the same part also needs a roll-formed thread or a crimp; C48500 for machined marine fittings.
Drawn, spun and stamped parts
C26000 annealed for deep draws and multi-stage stampings; C23000 red brass and C22000 commercial bronze when the finished colour or corrosion resistance matters more than formability.
Seawater and plumbing
C46400 naval brass for shafts, propeller nuts and fittings; C44300 admiralty brass for condenser tube; C23000 red brass for potable-water fittings, where its 15 % zinc resists dezincification.
Architectural and forged hardware
C38500 extrusions for rails and frames, C28000 plate for panels and C37700 forging brass for valve bodies and hot-stamped hardware, all taking a bright, satin or patinated finish.

Working with brass

Machining
C36000 cuts at 100 % machinability — two to three times faster than 6061 aluminum, with short chips and no burr — and C35300, C38500 and C48500 are close behind at 80–90. Unleaded C26000 and C46400 machine at 30 with long, stringy chips; use sharp tools and chip breakers.
Forming
Alpha brasses (C26000, C23000, C22000) deep-draw and bend to a 0–1 t inside radius when annealed; stress-relieve drawn parts at 250–300 °C for an hour to prevent season cracking in service. Leaded C36000 cracks on any tight bend; C37700 and C28000 are hot-forged at 650–750 °C.
Joining
Silver-brazing and soft-soldering are the standard joints; brass welds poorly because the zinc boils off, and leaded grades hot-crack. If a brass assembly must be TIG-welded, use ERCuSi-A filler and expect porosity, or design the part in C65500 instead.
Finishing
Bright dip, nickel and chrome plate, brushed or polished then lacquered — brass is the base metal under most decorative plating. Leaded brass in potable-water service needs a lead-free grade or a lead-leach treatment to meet drinking-water limits.

Other copper alloy series

Brass — frequently asked

What is brass?

Brass is copper with 5–40 % zinc, plus lead for machining or a little tin for seawater. Below about 37 % zinc it is single-phase alpha brass — soft, ductile (C26000 cartridge brass stretches 65 %) and the best deep-drawing metal there is; above that the harder beta phase appears and the alloy hot-forges and machines better but bends worse. Add 3 % lead and you have C36000, the 100 % reference on the machinability scale. Yield runs from about 100 MPa annealed to 400 MPa in hard strip, all of it from cold work.

Which grade of brass should I use?

C36000 for anything turned or milled in volume — fittings, valve stems, nozzles, inserts — as long as it is not bent or welded. C35300 when a leaded part also needs light forming or knurling. C26000 for deep-drawn shells, spun and stamped parts and anything that must bend tight; C27000 and C26800 are its slightly cheaper wire and sheet cousins. C46400 naval brass (1 % tin) for shafts, fittings and marine hardware in seawater, C48500 if that marine part is mostly machined. C28000 Muntz metal for hot-formed plate, condenser tube sheets and architectural panels; C38500 for extruded handrails and storefront sections. C22000 commercial bronze and C23000 red brass where a warmer colour, better corrosion resistance or resistance to dezincification matters.

Which grade of brass is the strongest?

C33200 has the highest yield strength in the series at 415 MPa; C41300 follows at 400 MPa. Values are for each grade's default condition.

Which grade of brass is easiest to machine?

C35600 (machinability excellent, 100/100), then C36000 (100/100).

Is brass heat-treatable?

No. These grades are strengthened by cold work and softened by annealing, not by heat treatment; the conditions are listed on each grade page.

Can C360 be bent or crimped?

Barely. The 3 % lead that breaks the chip also sits at the grain boundaries, so C36000 cracks on any bend tighter than about 4 t and cannot be crimped or staked hard. For a part that is machined and then formed, use C35300 (2 % lead, machinability 90) or C34500; for a part that is mainly formed, use C26000 and accept slower machining.

Which brass is lead-free?

C69300 silicon brass is the drop-in for C36000 where drinking-water or RoHS limits apply: silicon replaces lead as the chip breaker, machinability is about 75–80 % of C36000, and it resists dezincification. Bismuth-bearing brasses do the same job in castings. Plain C26000 and C46400 are already low-lead but machine much more slowly.