Brass - Brass Types

Brass Types

• Admiralty brass contains 30% zinc, and 1% tin which inhibits dezincification in many environments.
• Aich's alloy typically contains 60.66% copper, 36.58% zinc, 1.02% tin, and 1.74% iron. Designed for use in marine service owing to its corrosion resistance, hardness and toughness. A characteristic application is to the protection of ships' bottoms, but more modern methods of cathodic protection have rendered its use less common. Its appearance resembles that of gold.
• Alpha brasses with less than 35% zinc, are malleable, can be worked cold, and are used in pressing, forging, or similar applications. They contain only one phase, with face-centered cubic crystal structure.
• Prince's metal or Prince Rupert's metal is a type of alpha brass containing 75% copper and 25% zinc. Due to its beautiful yellow color, it is used as an imitation of gold. The alloy was named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine.
• Alpha-beta brass (Muntz metal), also called duplex brass, is 35–45% zinc and is suited for hot working. It contains both α and β' phase; the β'-phase is body-centered cubic and is harder and stronger than α. Alpha-beta brasses are usually worked hot.
• Aluminium brass contains aluminium, which improves its corrosion resistance. It is used for seawater service and also in Euro coins#Small-denomination coins (Nordic gold).
• Arsenical brass contains an addition of arsenic and frequently aluminium and is used for boiler fireboxes.
• Beta brasses, with 45–50% zinc content, can only be worked hot, and are harder, stronger, and suitable for casting.
• Cartridge brass is a 30% zinc brass with good cold working properties. Used for ammunition cases.
• Common brass, or rivet brass, is a 37% zinc brass, cheap and standard for cold working.
• DZR brass is dezincification resistant brass with a small percentage of arsenic.
• Gilding metal is the softest type of brass commonly available. An alloy of 95% copper and 5% zinc, gilding metal is typically used for ammunition bullet "jackets", e.g. full metal jacket bullets.
• High brass contains 65% copper and 35% zinc, has a high tensile strength and is used for springs, screws, and rivets.
• Leaded brass is an alpha-beta brass with an addition of lead. It has excellent machinability.
• Lead-free brass as defined by California Assembly Bill AB 1953 contains "not more than 0.25 percent lead content".
• Low brass is a copper-zinc alloy containing 20% zinc with a light golden color and excellent ductility; it is used for flexible metal hoses and metal bellows.
• Manganese brass is a brass most notably used in making golden dollar coins in the United States. It contains roughly 70% copper, 29% zinc, and 1.3% manganese.
• Muntz metal is about 60% copper, 40% zinc and a trace of iron, used as a lining on boats.
• Naval brass, similar to admiralty brass, is 40% zinc and 1% tin.
• Nickel brass is composed of 70% copper, 24.5% zinc and 5.5% nickel used to make pound coins in the pound sterling currency.
• Nordic gold, used in 10, 20 and 50 cts euro coins, contains 89% copper, 5% aluminium, 5% zinc, and 1% tin.
• Red brass is both an American term for the copper-zinc-tin alloy known as gunmetal, and an alloy which is considered both a brass and a bronze. It typically contains 85% copper, 5% tin, 5% lead, and 5% zinc. Red brass is also an alternative name for copper alloy C23000, which is composed of 14–16% zinc, 0.05% iron and lead, and the remainder copper. It may also refer to ounce metal, another copper-zinc-tin alloy.
• Rich low brass (Tombac) is 15% zinc. It is often used in jewelry applications.
• Tonval brass (also called CW617N or CZ122 or OT58) is a copper-lead-zinc alloy.
• White brass contains more than 50% zinc and is too brittle for general use. The term may also refer to certain types of nickel silver alloys as well as Cu-Zn-Sn alloys with high proportions (typically 40%+) of tin and/or zinc, as well as predominantly zinc casting alloys with copper additive.
• Yellow brass is an American term for 33% zinc brass.