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Wieland Chase Brass Selection Guide
Wieland Chase brass experts can help you determine the right brass for your application. Factors range from considering what the end use is of your application to what your production methods will be (e.g. machining, forging) and what mechanical properties will be required. Any special purpose needs should also be considered, such as water certifications or eco/sustainability. There are many variables in brass alloys that make brass a metal for a wide range of industrial and technological applications. After all, selecting brass is part art and part science. To learn more about how Wieland Chase can meet your brass production and manufacturing needs, or to request a quote, please contact us.
American-Made Brass
Is sourcing American-made brass important to your standards, feasibility, and supply chain?
At Wieland Chase, we control our product quality from the start, beginning with testing raw materials coming into the factory all the way through the rod drawing or forging and machining processes. This differentiates us from foreign producers and ensures superior quality and performance. Our forging process utilizes highly efficient and automated equipment to provide a globally competitive cost structure for our American consumers. Additionally, as a company with global reach, Wieland Chase proudly ships our USA-made brass and bronze products to countries internationally. Learn more about Wieland Chase brass rod export shipping to Canada here, and Wieland Chase brass rod export shipping to Mexico here.
Importing your brass parts? Please consider starting with a Wieland Chase engineered forged blank made here in the USA. We start it, and you finish machining it.
Supply Chain Lead Time and Transportation
What are your lead time and transportation costs?
Working with Wieland Chase reduces lead time and transportation costs compared to ordering products from an international supplier. Many people have the perception they can save resources and money by out-sourcing their production. We built a model that makes competitive, high-quality U.S. made products a reality. To compensate for higher production and shipping costs, many overseas manufacturers may use lower raw material quality which could ultimately result in substandard end-products. Wieland Chase uses only high-quality raw materials to protect the customer and ensure performance.
End Use Application
What, where, and how will the final product be used?
Brass is a versatile engineering material used to make durable products that readily meet lead-free requirements. Brass is strong, corrosion resistant, antimicrobial, non-magnetic, and machinable; thus, brass is ideal for mechanical applications. Whether you need plumbing parts or fittings, marine or automobile applications, or even clock or watch parts, brass is a choice metal.
Brass is unique in that it can be created with a variety of properties. Brass not only adds a decorative touch to homes and businesses but it also has antimicrobial properties and is resistant to corrosion, thus it is popular for mechanical applications.
Mechanical Properties
What are the strength needs of your brass composition for your final product?
Brass provides a range of mechanical properties to choose from. Understanding brass’s mechanical properties and your product’s requirements will guide you to the best brass for your application.
- Tensile Strength – Tensile strength is the maximum amount of stress a metal can withstand when force is applied before it fractures.
- Yield Strength – Yield strength refers to the amount of stress a metal can endure before a permanent length increase occurs.
- Elongation – Elongation measures how far it permanently stretches before fracture
Brass C36000 is our signature alloy and one of the most popular copper alloys. C36000 Brass Rod mechanical properties include
Brass C36000 Minimal Mechanical Properties
| Diameter (inch) | Tensile (ksi) | Yield (ksi) | Elongation (%) | Hardness (RD) (Rb) | Hardness (HX/OCT) (Rb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <0.500″ | 57 | 25 | 7 | – | – |
| 0.500″-1.000″ | 55 | 25 | 10 | 60-80 | 55-80 |
| >1.000″-2.000″ | 50 | 20 | 15 | 55-75 | 45-80 |
| >2.000″-3.000″ | 45 | 15 | 20 | 45-70 | 40-65 |
| >3.000″-4.000″ | 45 | 15 | 20 | 40-65 | 35-60 |
| >4.000″ | 40 | 15 | 20 | 25 min | 25 min |
ECO BRASS® C69300 is a high performance, lead-free* solution. Its mechanical properties include:
ECO BRASS® C69300 Minimum Mechanical Properties
| Diameter (inch) | Tensile Strength (ksi) | Yield Strength (ksi) | Elongation (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| >0.150″-0.500″ | 85 | 45 | 5 |
| >0.500″-1.000″ | 75 | 35 | 10 |
| >1.000″-2.000″ | 70 | 30 | 10 |
ECO BRASS® Ingot C87850 is a high strength brass for casting. Its mechanical properties include:
ECO BRASS® Ingot C87850 Minimum Mechanical Properties
| Casting Method | Tensile Strength (ksi) | Yield Strength (ksi) | Elong. % | Brinell Hardness 500 lb Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand | 59 | 22 | 16 | |
| Permanent Mold | 64 | 32 | 16 | |
| Continuous Cast | 65 | 25 | 8 | 103 |
ECO BRONZE® Rod C69300 is an arsenic-free and bismuth-free metal. Its mechanical properties include:
ECO BRONZE® Rod C69300 Minimum Mechanical Properties
| Diameter (inch) | Tensile Strength (ksi) | Yield Strength (ksi) | Elongation (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| >0.150″-0.500″ | 85 | 45 | 5 |
| >0.500″-1.000″ | 75 | 35 | 10 |
| >1.000″-2.000″ | 70 | 30 | 10 |
ECO BRONZE® Ingot C87850 is a lead free* bronze ingot. Its mechanical properties include
ECO BRONZE® Ingot C87850 Minimum Mechanical Properties
| Casting Method | Tensile Strength (ksi) | Yield Strength (ksi) | Elong. % | Brinell Hardness 500 lb Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand | 59 | 22 | 16 | |
| Permanent Mold | 64 | 32 | 16 | |
| Continuous Cast | 65 | 25 | 8 | 103 |
Alloy Properties
What makes brass an excellent choice?
Brass is a versatile metal and depending on its chemical composition, it can be utilized in a variety of applications. Brass is one of the most commonly utilized man-made metals and is composed of copper and zinc plus may contain other alloy elements like tin, nickel, aluminum, manganese, lead, silicon, phosphorus and iron. The chemical composition affects machinability, increases or decreases its corrosion resistance, and changes its cost effectiveness. With a multitude of brass options, it can be difficult to determine the best brass for your application. However, understanding the most commonly used brasses will guide your brass selection decision.
- Standard Brass (C36000) – Our signature brass products meet our customer’s expectations as the highest machinability of all brass rod alloys. The signature brass is composed of 60-63% copper, 2.5-3.0% lead and about 36% zinc, along with trace amounts of other elements.
- Low-Lead – Low-lead brasses contain 60-65% copper with approximately 38% zinc. They also can have trace amounts of lead, phosphorus, and iron. They are easily recycled and meet plumbing legislation compliant with S3874 and AB1953.
- ECO BRASS® – ECO BRASS® has a 73-77% copper content, approximately 3% silicon, 0.1% phosphorus, about 21% zinc and trace amounts of lead, iron, tin, nickel, and manganese. As a machinable, corrosion-resistant, lead-free* brass, it is a superior solution for water supply and plumbing applications.
- ECO BRONZE® – Like ECO BRASS®, ECO BRONZE® has a 73-77% copper content and approximately 3% silicon, 0.1% phosphorus, about 21% zinc and trace amounts of lead, iron, tin, nickel, manganese and antimony. ECO BRONZE® is a wear-resistant bronze.
Machinability
How will your brass be cut or formed, and what costs are associated with it?
Machinability is the ease at which brass can be machined. The machinability of the brass alloy can drive the cost of the final product. Machinability refers to how well a metal is cut into a final product. The copper and zinc content plus other additions like lead or silicon affects how machinable brass is.
Traditionally, brass is a superior solution because it is easily cut or formed, has minimal wear on tools, and results in smooth surface finish. Our Standard C36000 alloy is considered the benchmark alloy for machinability as it has the highest rating of any brass alloy. It machines faster and produces a superior surface than any other brass. It produces more components per machine hour, maintains tighter tolerance, and reduces machine downtime as it promotes longer tool life. Its machining chips can be recycled easily.
Forging
Can your product benefit from the production efficiencies of forging?
Forging brass offers a number of advantages, from production efficiency and precision near-net part forming that results in a reduction of waste and scrap metal by-products. Additionally, the forging process allows for the production of parts that are stronger and more durable than those manufactured by other metalworking processes. Wieland Forgeworks produces forged brass parts that can be further machined and threaded to meet your precision part requirements.
Forged brass products give you a competitive advantage. The Wieland Forgeworks approach gives our customers the ability to be more competitive – thanks to made-in-the-USA brass. Not only will you require less lead-time compared to international supply chains, but you’ll also enjoy the added benefits that go with reducing your working capital and inventory requirements.
Why forging?
- More efficient part design
- Improved material utilization/metal use
- Greater control of production process
- Greater efficiency reduces staffing and labor challenges
- Expanded part design through forging
- Minimize scrap
- Less scrap handling
- Reduce transportation
Importing your brass parts? Please consider starting with a Wieland Chase engineered forged blank made here in the USA. We start it, and you finish machining it.
Shapes and Sizes
What are the range of available brass rod shapes and sizes to choose from?
We produce our leaded brass rod stock in round, hexagonal, square/rectangle configurations, and special near-net industrial shapes that are subject to review by our engineering group prior to quoting.
Our diameter size ranges for all leaded alloys are as follows
- 250” – 4.5000” Round
- 250” – 2.500” Hexagonal
- 250” – 2.000” Square
Wieland Chase supplies the North American market with high-quality brass rod, forgings and ingots for numerous applications, like building & construction, industrial machinery, transportation and electrical.
EZ-Melt Brass Granular Ingot provides more surface area in a furnace that results in more efficient melting and reduced BTU consumption than traditional ingot. EZ-Melt Brass Granular Ingot is the smallest, yet most versatile offering in our product line.
Diameter and Tolerances
What is the range of diameters and related tolerances to choose from?
Wieland Chase is a brass supplier of C69300 brass profiles in hexagon, round, and other shaped brass rods and brass bars. ECO BRASS® C69300 is a high-performance, lead-free* brass. It’s a great replacement for leaded fittings and its corrosion resistance properties make it an excellent solution for water supply and plumbing applications. It forms well to make brass fittings.
Diameter/Tolerances +/-
| Diameter (inch) | Round | Hexagonal, Octagonal |
|---|---|---|
| >0.150″-0.500″ | 0.0020″ | 0.0040″ |
| >0.500″-1.000″ | 0.0030″ | 0.0050″ |
| >1.000″-2.000″ | 0.0040″ | 0.0060″ |
| >2.000″ | 0.20% | 0.40% |
Wieland Chase C69300 brass profiles are offered in hexagon, round, and other shaped brass rods and brass bars.
Sizes/Shapes
| Shape | Diameter (inch) | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Round | 0.375″ – 2.50″ |
  |
Hex / Hex RC | 0.375″ – 2.00″ |
 |
Shapes | Consult Mill |
High Performance Silicon Bronze
Does your project call for lead-free brass as a replacement for leaded fittings?
For water supply and plumbing applications, ECO BRONZE® C69300 is a high-performance, lead-free* brass. It’s a great replacement for leaded fittings and its corrosion resistance properties make it an excellent solution for water supply and plumbing applications. ECO BRONZE® passes the NSF/ANSI 14 ISO6509 dezincification resistance requirement and ASTM B858 stress corrosion cracking resistance requirement.
Sustainability and Recycling
How can your choice of metals or brass contribute to corporate sustainability goals?
Brass can be recycled indefinitely, therefore, it is very valuable to the scrap industry. Wieland Chase’s scrap metal recycling program is vital to producing globally competitive brass products and we welcome our customer’s partnership in understanding the importance of scrap metal recycling.
The main constituents of brass, although abundant, are expensive to mine. Since brass can be, however, recycled with no impact to its performance, it is much more economical to use scrap metal than virgin metals from mining. Wieland Chase is a leading recycler of brass materials.
Dezincification Resistance
Will your product need to pass testing for dezincification (ISO 6509)?
Dezincification is the selective loss of zinc from brass resulting in a weak, spongy copper layer at the water contact surface. It’s an electrochemical reaction between zinc and certain chemicals found in water and can progress through the part causing leaks and blockage of the water path if it forms a “meringue” deposit. The loss of the wall’s cross section can cause mechanical failure by straight-forward fracture or increased vulnerability to stress corrosion cracking.
There are two types of dezincification: layer and plug. With layer dezincification, the progression is slow along a broad front. This is primarily caused by water high in oxygen and carbon dioxide, slightly acidic water with a low salt content, soft water with a low pH and low mineral content, or waters high in chloride ions. Plug dezincification progresses faster and is localized. It’s caused by neutral or alkaline waters that are high in salt content with a temperature at or above room temperature. Both of these types of dezincification happen because zinc has weaker atomic bonds than copper, which is more noble than zinc, making it more resistant to corrosion. As a result, 15% zinc has been the traditional maximum limit for avoiding dezincification. However, not all brasses are prone to dezincification. It turns out that brasses containing up to 35% zinc are dezincification resistant because of the use of certain alloying elements and/or thermal treatments.
Drinking Water Regulations
How can you support global safe drinking water priorities and meet new requirements?
Ensuring the safety of drinking water is a global priority, particularly with respect to controlling the presence of lead which is known to cause adverse health effects. Throughout the brass value chain, industry professionals take care to ensure that brass materials and components comply with lead-free requirements.
Our ECO BRASS® and ECO BRONZE® brass alloys comply with these requirements.
The U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act enacted in 1974 governs the quality of drinking water supplied to the American public. In 2011, new federal legislation was passed to harmonize the regulation of lead in drinking water systems. The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act adopted the new California lead limit of 0.25% for wetted surfaces as a national requirement which came into force on January 4, 2014.
Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance
Will your product need to endure corrosion and erosion issues?
Stress corrosion cracking is rapid cracking in susceptible copper alloys caused by the combination of high stress and exposure to chemicals which attack the grain structure. In this case, problematic chemicals such as ammonia, sulfates and mercury are to blame.
ECO BRASS®
Will your product need to deliver lead-free performance in water supply applications?
ECO BRASS® is a high performance, lead-free* (Pb-free) silicon brass alloy that has strength equivalent to some stainless steels. ECO BRASS® has high strength, excellent machinability, and formability, exceptional wear resistance, good creep properties, and superior corrosion resistance. ECO BRASS® can be a substitute material for many components especially where high electrical conductivity is not critical. It’s a great replacement for leaded fittings and its corrosion resistance properties make it an excellent solution for water supply and plumbing applications.
ECO BRASS® C69300 is a great replacement for leaded fittings and its corrosion resistance properties make it an excellent solution for water supply and plumbing applications. It forms well to make brass fittings. ECO BRASS® is typically utilized in PEX fittings, brass fittings, bronze fittings, stop valves, ball valves, and both commercial and residential water faucets parts. It is also used in electric and electronic equipment parts and automotive parts.
Quality, Service, and Reliability
Will your brass supplier be there for you?
Wieland Chase traces its origin back to 1837 and today is one of the most efficient brass rod mills in North America. We place specific emphasis on the quality of our product and prompt reliable service to our customers. Our quality systems are registered to the ISO 9001 standard. We market our signature leaded machinable alloy C36000 and our lead-free machinable alloy C69300 as ECO BRASS® or C87850 ECO BRONZE®.
Production and Shipping
What brass product dimensions best fit your production needs?
Standard brass rod length is 12 foot; however, Wieland Chase can produce lengths from 10-16 feet, packaged in bundles ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 pounds. For larger diameter requirements, cast and turn billets range of 5.00” – 10.00 in 80” lengths. Wieland Chase minimum shipment quantity is 10,000 pounds, with items in stock ordered in 1,000-pound minimums. Special alloys and products require a 5,000-pound minimum item quantity for shipment at one time.
ASTM Specifications
What specifications and standards for brass does your application call for?
Chase produces a range of alloys using ASTM specifications for product chemistry:
| Alloy | Application | ASTM |
|---|---|---|
| C36000 | Free Cutting-Machining | B16 |
| C37700 | Forging-Machining | B124, B981 |
| C43500 | Cold Working | B453 |
| C35000 | Cold Working | B453 |
| C35300 | Cold Working | B453 |
| C37000 | Machining-Forging | B124, B981 |
| C36300 | Machining-Forging | B981 |
| C27450 | Machining-Forging | B927, B124 |
| C69300 | Machining-Forging | B124, B371 |
| C87850 | Cast Alloy | B30, B505, B584, B806 |
About Us
Wieland Chase is a leading brass manufacturer and supplier for brass alloys in North America. As of July 2019, Wieland Chase became part of the strong global Wieland Group with a continued commitment to safety, quality and customer service. More about the Wieland Group
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ECO BRASS® is a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation. Used with permission.