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Drawing No. EH–MT–006 // Engineering Materials

Brass Properties

Reviewed August 2026

C26000 Cartridge Brass (about 70% Cu, 30% Zn) in H01 quarter-hard condition is used as the representative brass. It offers good formability, corrosion resistance and machinability with much lower thermal conductivity than pure copper.

C26000 Cartridge Brass · H01 quarter-hardCopper-zinc alloyReference data — verify design allowables

Representative properties

Switch units without changing the underlying material reference.

Density
8,526 kg/m³
Representative reference value / range
Young’s modulus
110 GPa
Representative reference value / range
Poisson ratio
0.333
Representative reference value / range
Yield strength
276 MPa
Representative reference value / range
Tensile strength
372 MPa
Representative reference value / range
Thermal conductivity
121 W/(m·K)
Representative reference value / range
Specific heat
377 J/(kg·K)
Representative reference value / range
Thermal expansion
20 µm/(m·K)
Representative reference value / range
Melting / transition temperature
916–954 °C
Representative reference value / range
Why this basis matters: “Brass” spans many copper-zinc compositions and tempers. Leaded machining brasses, cartridge brass and naval brasses can have very different strength, conductivity and corrosion behavior.

What changes these properties?

Engineering variability

  • Mechanical values are explicitly tied to H01 quarter-hard flat-product data.
  • The displayed Poisson ratio is derived from CDA Young’s and shear moduli.
  • Zinc content and cold work strongly influence strength and ductility.
  • Thermal and corrosion properties depend on composition and environment.

Selection note

Useful for formed parts, fittings, hardware and heat-transfer components where copper-like corrosion behavior and good manufacturability are useful.

Do not combine strength from one grade/condition with modulus, thermal data or temperature limits from another without checking compatibility. Where the overview shows a range, it is intended to expose variability—not establish allowable bounds.

Property interpretation

Stiffness vs strength

Young’s modulus controls elastic deformation. Yield or fracture strength controls how far the material can be stressed. These are separate material characteristics.

Thermal response

Thermal conductivity controls temperature gradients, specific heat contributes to thermal inertia, and expansion controls thermally induced strain when movement is restrained.

Temperature transition

The final property card is deliberately labeled “melting / transition.” Metals often have a solidus–liquidus range; amorphous polymers and glass use softening or glass-transition concepts; concrete and wood decompose instead of exhibiting one clean melt point.

Technical sources

Source hierarchy favors manufacturers, industry associations, standards bodies and government engineering references. Strength data must still be reconciled with the exact procurement specification.

Related materials

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