My uncle had a hobby of collecting artefacts and souvenirs. One of his prized possessions was a stunningly beautiful and glittering saxophone made of brass which would attract me most whenever I visited uncle’s house in my childhood. Probably because of that saxophone I developed a special liking for brass.

Later in my life I came across many products made of this yellow alloy. I learned that though brass is principally an alloy of two metals, copper and zinc, there are other additives such as lead, tin, and iron and some more, in very little percentages.

There are different grades of brass, differing in colour (from dark brown to light silvery yellow), produced by varying the composition ratios between copper and zinc. The more the zinc the harder it is.

But all grades of brass are strong, machinable, tough, conductive, and corrosion resistant. And all have shine, elegance and beauty on one hand and ease of production on the other.

Brass is one of the most widely used materials in the world. It amazed me when I worked out a little study on its applications. The list became too long to be fitted in a small article like this. So I will rather touch upon the utilities of Brass plates and sheets.

Brass Sheets and Brass Plates

Brass sheets and plates are used in applications where a light, strong sheet or plate of metal is needed. These can be manufactured and cut in many different shapes and sizes.

Brass ingots in plates and sheets generally belong to grades C260 and C464.

C260 Brass Sheet and Brass Plate,also known as cartridge sheet, belongs to the yellow brass series. It has the highest ductility and a smooth and elegant yellow brass finish. Thicknesses range from 0.020” to 1/2”

All 260 brass sheets and plates are cut-to-order. They are commonly used for radiator components, door hardware and ammunition casings. They can be soldered, brazed and welded, and are highly formable but not heat treatable.

C464 Brass Sheet and Brass Plate, also known as naval brass sheet because of its high applicability for marine uses for its high corrosion resistance in salt water environment, high wear resistance and strength and good weldability. It is also the first choice for other industrial applications for its adaptability to high forging and pressing. It exhibits excellent results when hot worked by any process and can be moderately cold formed.

C464 is moderately easy to weld, braze and solder and is not heat treatable. Typical applications for C46400 brass include tube sheets, baffles, valve stems, fasteners and mold plates. C464 Naval Brass is also widely used for indoor and outdoor decorative applications including screens, elevators, signs, frames and decorative fascia. Naval brass is considered a Lead Free product because the maximum lead content is 1/5th of 1%.

Other typical areas that C46400 is used in, are –

Jig plates, engraving printing plates, tooling plates, mould plates and wear plates.