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Cast Bronzes and Brasses

The C8 and C9 copper alloys are poured, not rolled: sand, continuous, centrifugal, permanent-mold and investment castings of red brass, tin bronze, leaded bearing bronze, manganese bronze and aluminum bronze. They cover an enormous range — leaded red brass C83600 for valve bodies at about 115 MPa yield, bearing bronze C93200 (SAE 660) for bushings, manganese bronze C86300 at 460 MPa yield for the heaviest gears and nuts, and nickel-aluminum bronze C95500 that heat-treats to 425 MPa for pump and propeller work. EN 1982 grades (CC491K, CC493K, CC333G) are the European names for the same metals.

Popular cast bronze and brass grades

Compare in the explorer
GradeYield, MPaTensile, MPaDensity, g/cm³MachinabilityWeldabilityBest for
C932001252408.93Very goodPoorSAE 660 bearing bronze; the bushing default
C936001102078.94ExcellentNot recommendedHigher-lead bushings for poor lubrication
C836001172558.83Very goodPoorLeaded red brass valve and pump bodies
C844001102348.8ExcellentPoorSemi-red brass plumbing fittings
C863004708207.65PoorPoorManganese bronze heavy gears and nuts
C954002415867.45FairGoodCast aluminum bronze bushings and dies
C955003007007.53FairGoodNickel-aluminum bronze pump and marine parts

All 158 cast bronze and brass grades

Choose cast bronze and brass for

Bushings, sleeves and thrust washers, worm and helical gear blanks, pump and valve bodies, impellers and propellers, plumbing and fire-protection fittings, bells and sculpture, and any copper-alloy part that is large, hollow or shaped enough that casting beats machining from bar.

Look elsewhere when

The part is small and simple enough to turn from C36000 or C54400 bar, it needs the fatigue strength and fine grain of wrought stock (C63000 or C46400), it must be welded and is leaded (C65500 or wrought C61400), it is a light bushing that must run dry (oil-impregnated sintered bronze), or the load calls for steel and a bronze liner.

Yield strength against electrical conductivity, Cast bronzes & brasses among every copper alloy grade

No materials in view have both of these properties.

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Cast bronze and brass by application

Bushings and thrust washers
C93200 as the default; C93600 and C93700 for higher lead when lubrication is marginal; C90500 or C95400 when the load is high and lubrication is good.
Valve, pump and fitting bodies
C83600 for pressure-tight bodies to about 230 °C, C92200 (Navy M) for steam and higher pressure, C84400 for low-pressure plumbing, C89836 where the fitting carries drinking water.
Gears and worm wheels
C90300, C90500 and C90700 tin bronze for worm wheels running against hardened steel worms; C86300 manganese bronze for the heaviest, slowest, most heavily loaded gears and nuts.
Marine and pump castings
C95800 and C95500 nickel-aluminum bronze for propellers, impellers and seawater pump bodies; C86500 manganese bronze for propellers on smaller craft and rudder fittings.

Working with cast bronze and brass

Casting method
Bushings are cut from continuous-cast tube and bar (fine, sound structure, little machining); rings and sleeves are centrifugally cast; bodies and housings are sand or investment cast; C86300 and the aluminum bronzes are also permanent-mold cast. Specify the method with the alloy, since it sets porosity and pressure tightness.
Machining
Leaded grades cut well: C93200 and C83600 rate 70–85 % of C36000 with short chips, and a bushing bore holds ±0.02 mm. Tin bronze without lead runs at about 30 %; manganese and aluminum bronze at 20–60 % with carbide. Cast skin and sand inclusions blunt the first pass — take it deep.
Welding and heat treatment
Leaded and high-zinc grades are not welded; C95400, C95500 and C95800 are repair-welded routinely with nickel-aluminum-bronze filler. Only the aluminum bronzes respond to heat treatment (C95400 and C95500 quench from about 870 °C and temper at 600–650 °C, TQ50); the rest are used as cast or stress-relieved at 260 °C.
Finishing
Bearing surfaces are left bare and lightly oiled. Pressure castings are impregnated if they weep on test. Plating on leaded bronze needs a copper strike; aluminum bronze needs an activating strike. Potable-water parts require a lead-free grade or a lead-leach treatment.

Other copper alloy series

Cast Bronzes and Brasses — frequently asked

What is cast bronze and brass?

The C8 and C9 copper alloys are poured, not rolled: sand, continuous, centrifugal, permanent-mold and investment castings of red brass, tin bronze, leaded bearing bronze, manganese bronze and aluminum bronze. They cover an enormous range — leaded red brass C83600 for valve bodies at about 115 MPa yield, bearing bronze C93200 (SAE 660) for bushings, manganese bronze C86300 at 460 MPa yield for the heaviest gears and nuts, and nickel-aluminum bronze C95500 that heat-treats to 425 MPa for pump and propeller work. EN 1982 grades (CC491K, CC493K, CC333G) are the European names for the same metals.

Which grade of cast bronze and brass should I use?

C93200 for a bushing or thrust washer against a steel shaft — the universal bearing bronze, bought as continuous-cast tube and bar; C93600 or C93700 when lubrication is poor or the load and speed are higher. C83600 (85-5-5-5 leaded red brass) for valve bodies, pump housings and plumbing fittings that are pressure-tight and easy to machine; C84400 for cheaper plumbing hardware. C90300 and C90500 tin bronze for gears, worm wheels and high-load bearings without lead. C86300 manganese bronze for the heaviest slow-speed gears, screw-down nuts and hydraulic cylinder parts; C86500 for marine propellers and rudder hardware. C95400 for general aluminum-bronze bushings and dies, C95500 when strength or seawater demand nickel, and C95800 for propellers and welded marine castings. C89836 is the lead-free bismuth red brass for potable-water fittings.

Which grade of cast bronze and brass is the strongest?

C82510 has the highest yield strength in the series at 1,035 MPa; C82600 follows at 1,035 MPa. Values are for each grade's default condition.

Which grade of cast bronze and brass is easiest to machine?

CC497K (machinability excellent, 92/100), then C84000 (90/100).

Is cast bronze and 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.

C932 or C937 for a bushing?

C93200 (SAE 660, 7 % tin, 7 % lead) for most bushings: about 125 MPa yield, 65 HB, good embeddability and it handles boundary lubrication. C93700 (SAE 64, 10 % tin, 10 % lead) for higher speeds, heavier loads and dirtier or more marginal lubrication — the extra lead smears and protects the shaft if the oil film breaks. C93600 sits between them. If lubrication is good and the load is high, step up to C90500 tin bronze or C95400 aluminum bronze instead.

Is CC491K the same as C83600?

Effectively yes: EN 1982 CC491K (CuSn5Zn5Pb5-C) and UNS C83600 are both 85-5-5-5 leaded red brass, poured and machined the same way. Likewise CC493K (CuSn7Zn4Pb7-C) is the European C93200, CC480K (CuSn10-C) matches C90700 tin bronze, and CC333G (CuAl10Fe5Ni5-C) is the nickel-aluminum bronze equivalent of C95500. Foundries pour to whichever standard the drawing calls out; the metal is the same.