Brass
An alloy of copper and zinc, brass is yellow in color and often used as a substitute of gold. The metal has found uses in low pressure plumbing fittings (sometimes with copper), sink drains and fixtures (sometimes chrome plated to make it more decorative), car radiators, door knobs, and in trim hardware.
Most people recognize the high price commanded by brass / bronze scrap. Indeed many people, after installing a new kitchen or bathroom, collect together the old taps and fittings and sell them to their local scrap merchant in order to recoup some of their expenditure. The reason for such a high price paid for brass / bronze scrap is due to the fact that it is essential to the economics of the brass / bronze industry.
Brass for extrusion and hot stamping is generally made from a basic melt of scrap of standardized composition - adjusted by the addition of small quantities of virgin copper or zinc as needed to meet the specification before pouring. The use of brass scrap bought at a considerably lower price than the metal mixture price means that the cost of the fabricated brass is significantly less than it might otherwise be.
| Types | Description |
|---|---|
| Mixed Brass & Bronze | This grade comprises of assorted clean brass and bronze solids. |
| Refinery Brass | It consists of a minimum of 61.3% copper and a maximum of 5% iron. It also includes copper, brass and bronze alloyed metal. The grade should be free of non-metallic materials. |
| Red Brass Solids | It includes red brass solids scrap and may consists of valves, machinery bearings and other red brass solids, consisting mainly of copper with tin/lead/zinc alloys. |
| Old Yellow Brass | It includes sheet, tubing, rod and castings, including plated materials. It should be free of aluminum bronze or manganese bronze. |
| Auto Radiators | It includes iron free mixed copper / brass automotive radiators. It may not include aluminum radiators. Typical composition is 70 % copper, 3-3.5 % tin, 7-8 % lead and 10-11 % zinc. |
| Brass Wires | It comprises of clean brass wire free of aluminum and other foreign materials. |
| Other Brass & Bronze | It includes brass and bronze materials, which are nor included in other grades. |
