In the manufacturing industry it is common to use metal alloys such as bronze and brass. Together with copper, these two metals are known as red metals because of their characteristic colour.
Although the properties of both are similar, they must be distinguished in order to use them in the right way. Therefore, we have compiled the main differences between brass and bronze.
Differences between brass and bronze
Brass and bronze differ mainly in their elemental composition. Brass is a copper-based alloy metal alloyed with zinc in a percentage of 60-40% respectively. Bronze, on the other hand, is a copper-based alloy metal alloyed with tin, where the proportion is between 12% tin and 88% copper.
Due to this difference in composition, its properties and characteristics also differ:
Obtaining
Both bronze and brass have in common that they are alloys made from copper. However, both are obtained in completely different ways, since to obtain bronze it is necessary to expose the copper to very high melting temperatures, while the opposite is true for brass.
Corrosion resistance
Resistance is a property that can also be used to differentiate between brass and bronze. Bronze often oxidises when exposed to air, forming a protective layer (mottled patina) which, as a result, adequately prevents corrosion of the metal.
Brass, on the other hand, has a lower level of corrosion resistance than bronze, although some types of brass with high amounts of manganese can become more corrosion resistant than bronze.
Generally speaking, however, bronze is the most resistant to corrosion.
Electrical conductivity
Normally, the conductivity index is expressed in relation to copper, having an electrical conductivity of 100%. Considering this, brass has approximately 28% electrical conductivity, while bronze has approximately 15%, making brass a better electrical conductor.
Colour
In terms of colour, bronze tends to have a darker red colour, unlike brass which has a very bright yellow colour, although the latter can change depending on the proportion of copper and zinc.
Magnetism
The level of magnetism of bronze is low, almost non-existent. However, brass is highly magnetic, so if we place a magnet in front of the material and it adheres easily, we would be dealing with brass. If, on the other hand, it does not make any attempt to adhere to the magnet, it would be bronze.
Price
The copper content of the alloy will determine the final price of any alloy. However, bronze is usually more expensive than brass, as the copper content is higher and the manufacturing process is more resource intensive.
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