Brass

Brass

Brass is an <a href="/en/Alloy" title="Alloy" class="wl">alloy</a> of <a href="/en/Copper" title="Copper" class="wl">copper (Cu)</a> and <a href="/en/Zinc" title="Zinc" class="wl">zinc (Zn)</a>, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties,<a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a> but copper typically has the larger proportion. In use since prehistoric times, it is a <a href="/en/Substitutional_alloy" title="Substitutional alloy" class="mw-redirect wl">substitutional alloy</a>: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other within the same crystal structure. 

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Alloy of copper and zinc</div>
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<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Persian_astrolabe.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Persian_astrolabe.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Persian_astrolabe.jpg/220px-Persian_astrolabe.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="2323" data-file-height="3182" data-file-type="bitmap" height="301" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Persian_astrolabe.jpg/330px-Persian_astrolabe.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Persian_astrolabe.jpg/440px-Persian_astrolabe.jpg 2x" alt="Persian_astrolabe.jpg"></a><figcaption><a href="/en/Islamic_Golden_Age" title="Islamic Golden Age" class="wl">Islamic Golden Age</a> Brass <a href="/en/Astrolabe" title="Astrolabe" class="wl">astrolabe</a></figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder,_Limburg_(Netherlands),_c._1500,_The_Cloisters.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder,_Limburg_(Netherlands),_c._1500,_The_Cloisters.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder%2C_Limburg_%28Netherlands%29%2C_c._1500%2C_The_Cloisters.jpg/170px-Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder%2C_Limburg_%28Netherlands%29%2C_c._1500%2C_The_Cloisters.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="583" data-file-height="1062" data-file-type="bitmap" height="310" width="170" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder%2C_Limburg_%28Netherlands%29%2C_c._1500%2C_The_Cloisters.jpg/255px-Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder%2C_Limburg_%28Netherlands%29%2C_c._1500%2C_The_Cloisters.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder%2C_Limburg_%28Netherlands%29%2C_c._1500%2C_The_Cloisters.jpg/340px-Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder%2C_Limburg_%28Netherlands%29%2C_c._1500%2C_The_Cloisters.jpg 2x" alt="Brass_lectern_in_the_form_of_an_eagle_attributed_to_Aert_van_Tricht_the_Elder%2C_Limburg_%28Netherlands%29%2C_c._1500%2C_The_Cloisters.jpg"></a><figcaption>Brass <a href="/en/Lectern" title="Lectern" class="wl">lectern</a> with an eagle. Attributed to <a href="/en/Aert_van_Tricht" title="Aert van Tricht" class="wl">Aert van Tricht</a>, <a href="/en/Limburg_(Netherlands)" title="Limburg (Netherlands)" class="wl">Limburg (Netherlands)</a>, c. 1500.</figcaption></figure>

Brass is similar to <a href="/en/Bronze" title="Bronze" class="wl">bronze</a>, another copper alloy that uses <a href="/en/Tin" title="Tin" class="wl">tin</a> instead of zinc.<a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> Both bronze and brass may include small proportions of a range of other <a href="/en/Chemical_element" title="Chemical element" class="wl">elements</a> including <a href="/en/Arsenic" title="Arsenic" class="wl">arsenic (As)</a>, <a href="/en/Lead" title="Lead" class="wl">lead (Pb)</a>, <a href="/en/Phosphorus" title="Phosphorus" class="wl">phosphorus (P)</a>, <a href="/en/Aluminium" title="Aluminium" class="wl">aluminium (Al)</a>, <a href="/en/Manganese" title="Manganese" class="wl">manganese (Mn)</a>, and <a href="/en/Silicon" title="Silicon" class="wl">silicon (Si)</a>. Historically, the distinction between the two alloys has been less consistent and clear,<a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a> and increasingly museums use the more general term "<a href="/en/List_of_copper_alloys" title="List of copper alloys" class="wl">copper alloy</a>."<a href="#cite_note-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;">[4]</a>

Brass has long been a popular material for its bright gold-like appearance and is still used for <a href="/en/Drawer_pull" title="Drawer pull" class="wl">drawer pulls</a> and <a href="/en/Door_handle" title="Door handle" class="wl">doorknobs</a>. It has also been widely used to make sculpture and utensils because of its low melting point, high workability (both with hand tools and with modern <a href="/en/Lathe" title="Lathe" class="wl">turning</a> and <a href="/en/Milling_(machining)" title="Milling (machining)" class="wl">milling</a> machines), durability, and <a href="/en/Electrical_conductivity" title="Electrical conductivity" class="mw-redirect wl">electrical</a> and <a href="/en/Thermal_conductivity" title="Thermal conductivity" class="wl">thermal conductivity</a>. Brasses with higher copper content are softer and more golden in colour; conversely those with less copper and thus more zinc are harder and more silvery in colour.

Brass is still commonly used in applications where corrosion resistance and low <a href="/en/Friction" title="Friction" class="wl">friction</a> are required, such as <a href="/en/Padlock" title="Padlock" class="wl">locks</a>, <a href="/en/Hinge" title="Hinge" class="wl">hinges</a>, <a href="/en/Gear" title="Gear" class="wl">gears</a>, <a href="/en/Bearing_(mechanical)" title="Bearing (mechanical)" class="wl">bearings</a>, <a href="/en/Ammunition" title="Ammunition" class="wl">ammunition</a> casings, <a href="/en/Zipper" title="Zipper" class="wl">zippers</a>, <a href="/en/Plumbing" title="Plumbing" class="wl">plumbing</a>, <a href="/en/Hose_coupling" title="Hose coupling" class="wl">hose couplings</a>, <a href="/en/Valve" title="Valve" class="wl">valves</a>, and <a href="/en/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets" title="AC power plugs and sockets" class="wl">electrical plugs and sockets</a>. It is used extensively for <a href="/en/Brass_instrument" title="Brass instrument" class="wl">musical instruments</a> such as <a href="/en/Horn_(instrument)" title="Horn (instrument)" class="wl">horns</a> and <a href="/en/Metallophone" title="Metallophone" class="wl">bells</a>. The composition of brass, generally 66% copper and 34% zinc, makes it a favorable substitute for copper in <a href="/en/Costume_jewelry" title="Costume jewelry" class="wl">costume jewelry</a> and <a href="/en/Fashion_jewellery" title="Fashion jewellery" class="mw-redirect wl">fashion jewelry</a>, as it exhibits greater resistance to corrosion. Brass is not as hard as bronze, and so is not suitable for most weapons and tools nor marine uses, because the zinc reacts with minerals in salt water, leaving porous copper behind; Marine brass, with added tin, avoids this, as does bronze.

Brass is often used in situations in which it is important that <a href="/en/Spark_(fire)" title="Spark (fire)" class="wl">sparks</a> not be struck, such as in fittings and tools used near flammable or explosive materials.<a href="#cite_note-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;">[5]</a>

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc , in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion.  In use since prehistoric times, it is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other within the same crystal structure.  Brass is similar to bronze, another copper alloy that uses tin instead of zinc. Brass has long been a popular material for its bright gold-like appearance and is still used for drawer pulls and doorknobs. It has also been widely used to make sculpture and utensils because of its low melting point, high workability , durability, and electrical and thermal conductivity.  Brasses with higher copper content are softer and more golden in colour; conversely those with less copper and thus more zinc are harder and more silvery in colour. 