The Common Uses of Brass

Brass has been a favoured material across industries, arts and crafts for centuries. This is because of its blend of durability, corrosion resistance and ease of working. And the appearance of this bright metal alloy should not be overlooked – brass has a gold-like look that can be worked and polished to an eye-catching and attractive finish. These qualities are why brass has found itself into countless applications over the years, from the hidden and practical to the obvious and decorative.

At Rapid Metals, we know a lot about brass. We’re one of the UK’s leading stockists of brass in a huge range of product types to suit the many uses of this versatile metal. In this blog, we’ll explore the common uses of brass and its useful properties.

What is Brass?

To understand why brass is used where it is, we need to understand what it is as a metal and a material. Brass is an alloy, consisting of copper and zinc – with a ratio between the two typically in the range of 2/3 brass to 1/3 zinc. By varying the exact proportion, and introducing other metals such as lead, aluminium, tin or iron, manufacturers can adjust brass’ properties to suit it for specific uses.

Useful Properties of Brass

These various properties are what makes brass such a commonly used material. It’s a versatile metal that offers many desirable qualities for all sorts of applications.

Brass is well-known for its corrosion resistance, demonstrating excellent anti-corrosion properties in most atmospheric conditions. Although its surface will dull and tarnish without cleaning or polishing, brass does not corrode in damp or even submerged environments. It retains this resistance even in the presence of high temperatures such as hot water or steam. Moving parts made of brass will not seize together when exposed to moisture. An exception to this for ‘standard’ brass is salt water – this will remove the zinc and degrade the metal. Marine or ‘Admiralty’ brasses with a small additional tin content prevent this and can be used in saltwater environments.

Brass is a very malleable or ‘soft’ metal, making it easy to cut, shape, press and otherwise form. It doesn’t snap or break readily, instead it deforms under excessive force or loads. Brass also offers low friction, naturally forming smooth surfaces at both large and small scales. Brass has high thermal and electrical conductivity, although it is significantly inferior in both respects to pure copper. An interesting property of brass is that it’s a natural antimicrobial. Many common illness-causing bacteria cannot survive on brass surfaces, and others are severely inhibited.

The aesthetic properties of brass are also important to its popularity. Its bright yellow appearance resembles valuable gold and because it doesn’t corrode and only slowly tarnishes, it retains an attractive appearance.

Uses of Brass in Daily Life

One of the most iconic uses of brass is in musical instruments – the material gives its name to an entire family of instruments and an entire genre of bands that use them. This makes use of many of the properties of brass. The malleability and machinability of brass makes it suitable for creating the complex coils and flairs needed for the instruments, as well as the complex slides and valves.

Brass won’t corrode when exposed to the moist breath of the musicians, and its good thermal properties mean that instruments heat up evenly as they’re held and played, and even the hygienic properties of brass apply here. Most importantly, brass has good reverberant acoustic properties, and its bright and easily polished appearance is very desirable for musical instruments.

We often see brass in our home lives, since it’s a very common choice of material for door handles, draw knobs and light fittings. This is because of a combination of its bright appearance (and the way it reflects and highlights light when used in light fittings), its ease of machining and shaping, its durability and its antimicrobial properties.

It’s mostly brass’s resistance to corrosion that makes it so common for taps, showerheads, heating valves and other plumbing components and fittings. The low friction and machinability are also vital here for making intricate low-maintenance valves that must work reliably for years while shut out of sight in airing cupboards, loft spaces and cupboards under the stairs. For those parts more in sight, brass looks attractive and stays shiny without needing constant cleaning and polishing.

Many high-quality clothing items use brass for buttons, zips and other fasteners. Classic denim jeans use brass studs and buttons. This is because they need to be durable, tough and corrosion resistant.

Uses of Brass in Construction

Brass is used in both functional and decorative roles in the constructive industry. These include architectural elements like railings, fittings and trim. Often, the function and the aesthetic work together, such as railings that are attractive, low-maintenance and hygienic.

In our homes, brass is used in plumbing for all sorts of construction projects. Brass can be used for pipes, but copper and other alloys are often preferred for these. Brass predominates for the joints, couplings, connectors, valves, pumps and taps – parts that need to be intricate and precise.

Similarly, copper has superior electrical conductivity than brass, so we find copper used in wiring. But brass still offers good conductivity with the benefit of vastly superior durability. So brass is preferred for switches, plugs, sockets and light fittings where mechanical strength and resistance to wear and tear are required.

Uses of Brass in Engineering

Brass is a key material in many forms of engineering, because of its versatile mechanical, chemical and electrical properties. Brass is used for a wide range of mechanical parts, from clockwork toys to propeller shaft bearings in huge container ships. Brass’s ability to be cost-effectively machined into precise and intricate shapes and its low friction when used with metal-on-metal makes it ideal for making bearings, gears and valves.

Brass’ mechanical properties also make it capable of small and precise mechanisms which need a high degree of dimensional stability. This is why it’s used for clockwork, gauges, compasses and other sensitive instruments. It’s also a favoured material for model and hobby engineers, since it can make fully functional machines on a small scale while also being readily worked and machined by relatively simple and common tools.

Conclusion

The uses of brass metal are diverse and widespread—from the homes we live in to the machines that drive our industries. Thanks to the many useful properties of brass, this brass metal alloy continues to be indispensable in construction, engineering, and our daily lives. Whether you’re a builder, engineer, designer or a hobbyist, brass can be a useful and vital material for you.

Rapid Metals can supply many types of brass products in our online shop. Angle and flat bar, rounds, tubes, sheet and square rod – we can supply all this in a wide range of dimensions and custom lengths. Depending on the size of your order and your location, you can pick up your brass in one of our two stores in the Midlands, we can deliver or we’ll send it by courier. Contact us to discuss your needs and find out more about our services.