Brass: A Comprehensive Guide to Its Types, Uses, and Care Tips

Brass is a commonly used alloy, composed mostly of copper and zinc. It has a bright gold-like colour and is favoured for both its appearance and mechanical properties.

But what are the different types of brass, and how are they used? All is explained in this article: a comprehensive guide to Brass.

Understanding Brass: Definition, Composition, and Types

Along with other alloying elements, brass is primarily composed of copper and zinc, typically containing between 45% and 95% copper. Additional elements are added to alter the chemical and mechanical properties, such as lead, tin or aluminium.

As with most commercial metals, there are numerous grades of brass, but they can be broadly classified into two groups: Alpha and Beta.

Alpha Brass

Typically containing less than 37% zinc, alpha grades of brass are incredibly ductile and, as such, are perfect for forming into complex shapes and profiles.

Common uses include decorative items, musical instruments and other ornate or shaped parts.

Beta Brass

Beta brass contains less copper and more zinc, making for a stronger, harder, but less ductile material. It is perfect for parts such as bolts, pins and other fastening components.

Its lack of ductility makes it less suited for applications where forming and bending are required; instead, it lends itself to machining much more.

Shapes Available in Brass

Like all commercially produced metals, brass is available in a wide range of thicknesses, sizes and shapes. These are some of the most common ones:

• Tube/pipe – thin-walled tubes are widely available in most grades of brass, and are commonly used in everything from fluid transfer applications to architectural elements and additions to furniture.
• Solid Bar – Round, flat, and square bars are all readily available in most grades of brass; they are commonly used for machining precision parts from, via both milling and turning operations.
• Sheet: Readily available in thicknesses ranging from 0.5mm to 5mm, it can be used in flat form or bent and formed to create more complex parts. It is often used for ornamental and decorative items, such as bar tops, but also for functional bracketry and electrical contacts.
• Square tube and Angle: Brass is also available in square tube, angle and channel, for general fabrication tasks. Thicknesses and sizes are naturally smaller than what is available in steel, but a wide range is still on offer.

Common Uses of Brass in Everyday Applications

With its attractive finish and favourable mechanical and chemical properties, brass can be found in all walks of life, from industrial to artistic applications.

Plumbing Hardware

Whilst copper is still the metal of choice for piping, brass is often used for valve and tap components, owing to its corrosion resistance, hardness and ease of machining.

Many of these products are made in fast automated processes, so the smooth cutting of brass makes the process easier to handle, especially over copper.

Musical Instruments

Many wind instruments, such as trombones and trumpets, are made from brass. It has a naturally sonorous property (meaning it produces a pleasing sound) and is easy to form and polish. This enables complex and aesthetic instruments to be made with relative ease.

Architectural Features

All shapes and sizes of brass have been implemented in architectural applications, creating anything from handrails, finials, counter tops and even lighting components.

The reason for its widespread architectural use is similar to the previous point; it can be formed into many, organic-esque shapes, and both the mechanical polishing and natural patina are pleasant to look at.

Electrical Components

As it has a large amount of copper present, brass is a good electrical conductor. This, plus the ability to be easily machined, drilled and bent, makes it an ideal choice for electrical contacts, terminals and the like.

It is often found inside appliances, both industrial and domestic, as well as on the end of high voltage cabling as terminals and connectors.

Benefits and Advantages of Using Brass

Corrosion resistance: Normal alpha and beta grades have relatively good corrosion resistance, but they can suffer from dezincification. Grades that resist this are widely available, however, and can provide excellent resistance to many types of corrosion, whilst still being easily machined, formed, etc.

Workability: Accounting for all the different grades of brass, it can be used in almost all processes, from machining to forming, brazing, shearing and soldering. This makes manufacturing complex parts relatively easy and economical.

Antimicrobial properties: Another result of it being high in copper content, brass has similar antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. This makes it a good choice for highly touched components, particularly in public buildings, such as bar tops or handrails.

Aesthetic appeal: Brass has a warm, gold-like hue that can be polished to a near mirror finish, or left to form a characterful patina.

Essential Care Tips for Maintaining Brass Items

Thanks to the aforementioned points, brass is a relatively simple material to maintain; it does not need paint or coating to resist corrosion (although a lacquer is often applied to reduce tarnishing) and can be cleaned with most regular products.

Here are some tips for caring for brass:

Regular cleaning: Wipe brass with a soft, damp cloth to remove dust. It is reasonably resistant to cleaning products, but it is best to avoid harsh cleaners, especially on older pieces.

Polishing: Brass can be polished with commercially available polishing compounds and a suitable applicator. As it is soft and naturally a bright material, it polishes very readily and easily.

Protective Coatings: If the natural tarnishing is to be avoided, a protective coating, similar to an epoxy clear coat or lacquer, ensures the metal in question is suitable for the product you have, and follow the guidance on the packaging.

Troubleshooting Common Brass Issues and Solutions

Tarnishing: Exposure to air and moisture can cause brass to darken. To address tarnish, polish the item using a brass cleaner or a paste of lemon juice and baking soda.

It’s worthwhile to note: this patina is a natural reaction to the material in our atmosphere, and the value of certain antique pieces can be affected if they are polished – so be sure to check before starting!

Scratches: Because of how soft it is, brass will scratch easily. Thankfully, the scratches are relatively easy to remove, but will generally require polishing the entire item to make the finish uniform.

If this is acceptable, choose a commercially available metal polishing compound and apply as directed, potentially checking the resulting finish on an inconspicuous area first.