SURFACE J461

ED. CHG.
DEC2002
VEHICLE
STANDARD Issued 1934-01
Editorial Change 2002-12

Superseding J461 SEP1981

Wrought and Cast Copper Alloys

1. Scope—For convenience, this SAE Information Report is presented in two parts as shown below. To avoid
repetition, however, data applicable to both wrought and cast alloys is included only in Part 1.

Part I—Wrought Copper and Copper Alloys

Types of Copper (Table 1)

General Characteristics (Table 3)
Electrical Conductivity
Thermal Conductivity
General Mechanical Properties (Table 10)
Yield Strength
Fatigue Strength
Physical Properties (Table 2)
General Fabricating Properties (Table 3)
Formability
Bending
Hot Forming
Machinability
Joining
Surface Finishing
Color
Corrosion Resistance
Effect of Temperature
Typical Uses (Table 3)

Part II—Cast Copper Alloys

Types of Casting Alloys

Effects of Alloy Elements and Impurities
General Characteristics (Table 11)
Physical Properties (Table 12)
Typical Uses (Table 11)

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SAE reviews each technical report at least every five years at which time it may be reaffirmed, revised, or cancelled. SAE invites your written comments and suggestions.
Copyright ©2002 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
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 SAE J461 EditorialChange DEC2002

2. References

2.1 Applicable Publications—The following publications form a part of this specification to the extent specified
herein. Unless otherwise indicated, the latest version of SAE publications shall apply.

2.1.1 SAE PUBLICATIO N—Available from SAE, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001.

SAE J463—Wrought Copper and Copper Alloys

2.1.2 ASTM P UBLICATIONS—Available from ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959.

ASTM B 3—Specification for Soft or Annealed Copper Wire

ASTM B 16—Specification for Free-Cutting Brass Rod, Bar, and Shapes for Use in Screw Machines
ASTM B 21—Specification for Naval Brass Rod, Bar, and Shapes
ASTM B 36—Specification for Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
ASTM B 68—Specification for Seamless Copper Tube, Bright Annealed
ASTM B 75—Specification for Seamless Copper Tube
ASTM B 97—Specification for Copper-Silicon Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar for General
Purposes
ASTM B 98—Specification for Copper-Silicon Alloy Rod, Bar, and Shapes
ASTM B 103—Specification for Phosphor Bronze Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
ASTM B 111—Specification for Copper and Copper-Alloy Seamless Condenser Tubes and Ferrule Stock
ASTM B 121—Specification for Leaded Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
ASTM B 122—Specification for Copper-Nickel-Tin Alloy, Copper-Nickel-Zinc Alloy (Nickel Silfer) and
Copper-Nickel Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
ASTM B 133—Specification for Copper Rod, Bar, and Shapes
ASTM B 134—Specification for Brass Wire
ASTM B 135—Specification for Seamless Brass Tube
ASTM B 138—Specification for Manganese Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes
ASTM B 139—Specification for Phosphor Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes
ASTM B 150—Specification for Aluminum Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes
ASTM B 151—Specification for Copper-Nickel-Zinc Alloy (Nickel Silver) and Copper-Nickel Rod and Bar
ASTM B 152—Specification for Copper Sheet, Strip, Plate and Rolled Bar
ASTM B 154—Method of Mercurous Nitrate Test for Copper and Copper Alloys
ASTM B 159—Specification for Phosphor Bronze Wire
ASTM B 169—Specification for Aluminum Bronze Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
ASTM B 171—Specification for Copper-Alloy Condenser Tube Plates
ASTM B 194—Specification for Copper-Beryllium Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar
ASTM B 196—Specification for Copper-Beryllium Alloy Rod and Bar
ASTM B 280—Specification for Seamless Copper Tube for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Field
Service
ASTM B 283—Specification for Copper and Copper-Alloy Die Forgings (Hot-Pressed)
ASTM B 301—Specification for Free-Cutting Copper Rod and Bar
ASTM B 441—Specification for Copper-Cobalt-Beryllium and Copper-Nickel-Beryllium Rod and Bar
ASTM B 453—Specification for Copper-Zinc-Lead Alloy (Leaded-Brass) Rod
ASTM B 534—Specification for Copper-Cobalt-Beryllium Alloy and Copper-Nickel-Beryllium Alloy Plate,
Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

3. Part I—wrought Copper And Copper Alloys—Factors influencing the uses of wrought copper and copper
alloys concern electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, machinability, formability, fatigue characteristics,
strength, corrosion resistance, the ease with which alloys can be joined, and the fact that these materials are
nonmagnetic. Copper and its alloys also have a wide range of rich, pleasing colors. The only other metal with
such distinctive coloring is gold. These materials are all easily finished by buffing, scratch brushing, plating or
chemically coloring, or clear protective coating systems.

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When it is desired to improve one or more of the important properties of copper, alloying often solves the
problem. A wide range of alloys, therefore, has been developed and commercially employed, such as the high
copper alloys, brasses, leaded brasses, tin bronzes, heat treatable alloys, copper-nickel alloys, nickel silvers,
and special bronzes.

The various types of copper and the principal alloys are listed in Tables I and 3, along with information
describing composition, fabricating properties, and applications.

3.1 Types of Wrought Copper-—Copper UNS Nos. C11000, C11100, C11300, C11400, C11500, and C11600 1
are either electrolytically or fire-refined, cast in the form of refinery shapes, containing a controlled amount of
oxygen for the purpose of obtaining a level set on the top of the casting. It generally contains 0.01–0.04%
oxygen, which exists as a coppercuprous oxide eutectic surrounding the crystals of copper. Within these limits,
the oxygen has only a very slight effect on the electrical, mechanical, and physical properties of copper.
Because of the oxidizing effect of oxygen on impurities, its presence in copper indicates a reduction or
elimination of certain impurities which would otherwise have adverse effects on conductivity.

Copper UNS No. C10200 is electrolytically refined and specially produced to be free from cuprous oxide
although it is made without the use of residual metallic or metalloidal deoxidizers. Because of its freedom from
residual deoxidizers, it has high electrical conductivity.

Copper UNS Nos. C12000 and C12200 are cast in the form of refinery shapes, free from cuprous oxide,
produced through the use of metallic or metalloidal deoxidizers. Because it is necessary to use some excess
of reducing agent, the electrical and thermal conductivity of the copper is lowered, and this fact should be
considered when high conductivity is needed.

Copper UNS Nos. C10200, C12000 and C12200 possess only slightly different mechanical properties from the
C11XXX types. They differ little in respect to tensile strength when cold worked to similar extents, but do have
somewhat higher ductility and also are not normally subject to hydrogen embrittlement.

3.2 Electrical Conductivity—The greatest single area of use for copper itself results from the high electrical
conductivity of the metal. The combination of the property of high electrical conductivity with ease of forming
and high corrosion resistance makes copper the preferred material for current-carrying members. The
conductivity of copper for electrical conductors is 101% IACS (see Table 2) in the annealed or soft condition.
The tensile strength of the soft copper, 220 MPa (32 ksi) can be increased to 345/380 MPa (50/55 ksi) by cold
rolling, in which condition the electrical conductivity is decreased to about 97%. Heating such copper above
200 °C for an extended period of time will soften it to a tensile strength of 205/240 MPa (30/35 ksi).

1. Since the nomenclature used in the nonferrous metals trade is not always consistent, copper and copper base alloys are referenced by
specification numbers described in SAE J463.

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Silver is added to copper to increase its resistance to softening at elevated temperature without decreasing the
electrical conductivity. Cold worked silver-bearing copper (see Table 4) can be heated to about 350 °C for
short periods of time without appreciable softening, and is less susceptible to creep rupture in highly stressed
situations. Rolling mill practice and amount of silver have an effect upon the softening of such materials.

Cadmium added in small amounts (0.10%) to copper results in an alloy having superior resistance to softening
at temperatures used in forming automotive radiators. Resistance to softening is retained even after the
application of large amounts of cold work. The application of this material permits higher strength solders to be
used and allows for the increase of soldering temperature range to a point not feasible with other high
conductivity materials. Electrical and thermal conductivities are not appreciably different than for silver bearing
copper.

Figure I illustrates the softening characteristics of electrolytic copper and silver bearing and cadmium bearing
copper alloys in terms of tensile strength for the times and temperatures indicated.

FIGURE 1—SOFTENING CHARACTERISTICS OF THREE COPPERS

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The 0.85% silver-bearing alloy is the best, of the three commonly available alloys, to resist creep rupture. The
silver-bearing coppers find use in radiator construction where the material is subjected to slightly elevated
temperature during soldering operations, also for commutators which are baked to set mica between the
copper segments. Copper must no be softened by these treatments.

To prevent embrittlement which takes place with copper should be specified if the material is to be heated
much above 425 °C in an atmosphere of reducing gases such as hydrogen. Embrittlement results from the
action of the reducing gases with the copper oxide normally present in all C11XXX types.

The addition of chromium to copper produces an alloy with a combination of high tensile strength (485 MPa
[70ksi]) and electrical conductivity (80% IACS). Copper Alloy UNS No. C18400 has the ability to retain its
mechanical properties and wear resistance to a high degree at elevated temperatures. The copper chromium
alloys have found considerable use as fabricated into welding tips and seam welding wheels. Zirconium
bearing copper (Copper Alloy UNS No. C 15000) is also finding wide use in high temperature-high strength
applications.

Heat treated beryllium bearing copper alloys having tensile strength up to 1345 MPa (195 ksi) and fatigue
strengths up to 345 MPa (50 ksi are available; however, a drop in electrical conductivity to about 50% and high
cost must be considered. Where repetitive or cycling operation must be performed, such properties have
made application of these alloy economical.

Conducting contacts, springs or other stressed parts that are manufactured by forming may employ chromium
or beryllium bearing coppers. The parts are formed by cold working and then strengthened by heat treatment.

The high degree of ductility and toughness of commercially pure copper usually make it unsuited for cutting or
machining operations. Copper with lead, tellurium and sulfur were developed to combine the properties of
copper with improved machinability. Parts that must be formed by extensive machining and be highly
conductive are made from the free machining coppers. Tellurium copper has a 95% electrical conductivity and
a machinability rating of 80–90. Sulfur bearing copper has a 95% IACS electrical conductivity and the same
machinability rating, whereas lead copper has an electrical conductivity of 98% IACS and a machinability rating
of 80. The machinability rating for copper is 20.

Where higher tensile strength 620 MPa (90 ksi) is required along wit good machinability (60) and lower
electrical conductivity (10%) can be tolerated, aluminum silicon alloys may be used to advantage.

For applications requiring good fatigue properties, the nickel-silver phosphor, or beryllium alloys will serve.
These alloys, however, have relatively low electrical conductivity ranging from 5 to 50%.

Copper UNS No. C12000 is also a good choice in the selection of conductor to be used where creep strength
is to be considered, as may be the case when the material is to operate at slightly elevated temperature.

3.3 Thermal Conductivity—For the alpha solid solutions of copper alloys at least, the thermal conductivity is a
nearly linear function of the electrical conductivity multiplied by the absolute temperature. Good conductor of
electricity are also good conductors of heat and poor conductors of electricity are poor conductors of heat.

When high thermal conductivity is of principal importance, the same considerations given electrical
conductivity apply.

3.4 Mechanical Properties—Except for the heat treatable alloys, strength is determined mainly by composition
and degree of cold work. Mechanical properties of the most important alloys are to be found in Table 10.

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Copper and copper alloys containing aluminum, silicon, tin, iron, an manganese, in various combinations and
concentrations, are much stronger by virtue of their chemistry than the other coppers or alloys. For heavy
sections or parts requiring high strength, inherently stronger alloy should be specified. For lighter or smaller
sections which can be made adequately from stronger tempers, other alloys are successful. For example, the
tensile strength of Copper Alloy UNS No. C26000 used in the production of radiator tanks can be increased by
adjusting the rolling mill procedure from 310 to 365 MPa (45 to 53 ksi) without a harmful reduction in ductility.
Similarly Copper Alloy UNS No. C26000 strip 0.11 mm (.0045 in) intended for fabrication into lockseam tube,
used in radiator construction, is available in an annealed temper having a tensile strength of about 440 MPa
(64 ksi) and an elongation of 32% in 50 mm (2 in). This represents an 18.5% increase in tensile strength
without any sacrifice of ductility, compared to material produced by rolled-to-temper methods

The tensile strength of the copper-zinc series of alloys, the most widely used group in the industry, increases in
general for any specific temper as the copper content decreases. The alloys also are characterized by
extremely high ductility, excellent forming characteristics and ease of finishing. The relationship of the increase
of properties with zinc content is shown in Figure 2.

FIGURE 2—RELATIONSHIP OF INCREASE OF PROPERTIES WITH ZINC CONTENT

A series of heat treatable alloys are commercially available and have strength as high as 1380 MPa (200 ksi).
These alloys are produced with carefully controlled compositions and contain such elements as chromium,
beryllium, nickel, phosphorus and silicon. The attractive diversity of properties obtainable in heat treatable
copper alloys can be observed in Table 10.

The copper zirconium alloy (Copper UNS No. C15000) might be included in this group because it does
respond to heat treatment; however, its strength is developed primarily through the application of cold working.
Heat treatment primarily restores high electrical conductivity and ductility and increases surface hardness.
The alloy has found use in the production of welding tips and wheels, stud bases for rectifiers, commutators for
motors and electrical switch parts.

One outstanding characteristic of the heat treatable alloys is that they may be formed into articles, such as
complex springs, while in the soft or partially work hardened state, and the mechanical properties
subsequently improved to their maximum by heat treatment.

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3.5 Yield Strength—Yield strength is the stress at which a material exhibits a specified limiting deviation of strain.
Ordinarily the yield strength of copper and copper alloys is taken at 0.5% extension under load (strain)
although for some design purposes values taken at 0.1 or 0.2% offset may be used.

Where residual stresses, due to forming, approach or exceed the yield strength, stress corrosion cracking may
occur. Also, stresses may reach levels high enough to cause elastic drift in springs. In either case, it may be
advisable to apply a low temperature, stress relieving treatment. Suggested temperatures for accomplishing a
stress relief are listed in Table 5.

The tendency of a formed part to stress crack can be determined by the application of ASTM B 154, Method of
Mercurous Nitrate Test for Copper and Copper Alloys. The effectiveness of thermal stress relieving treatment
can be judged by the same test.

3.6 Fatigue Strength—Materials subjected to alternating tensile and compressive stress, or shear stress
alternating in direction, will fail by "fatigue" fracture at much lower values for maximum stress than if subjected
to steady loads. The same effect applies, but to a lesser degree if the stresses are constant in direction but
vary in magnitude. Springs, diaphragms, bellows, flexible hose and similar applications are frequently exposed
to such conditions, and when this is the case, the maximum stress used in design calculations must be less
than the safe tensile or shear stress applicable when the load is constant.

Generally, the harder the material the higher its fatigue strength, although fatigue strengths vary with surface
and temper conditions and corrosion. The heat treatable alloys such as beryllium alloys, copper containing
either nickel and silicon or nickel and phosphorus can be hardened by heat treatment and, therefore, optimum
spring characteristics can be realized by such treatment after the spring has been formed. Phosphor alloys,
nickel-silver alloys and other nonheat treatable alloys must always be used in a condition sufficiently soft to
successfully cold form into the desired shape. Since the fatigue strength increases with the hardness of the
material, the highest values for the precipitation hardening alloys must be compared with less than the highest
values for other materials. Such a comparison indicates a marked superiority of the former alloys.

A comparison of the fatigue strengths of several alloys follows: Copper Alloy UNS Nos. C17000, 275 MPa
(40ksi); C67400, 215 MPa (31 ksi); C52100, 185 MPa (27 ksi); C65500, 160 MPa (23 ksi); C77000, 155 MPa
(22.5 ksi); C51000, 150 MPa (22 ksi); C26800, 140 MPa (20 ksi); and Copper UNS No. C11000, 70 MPa
(10ksi).

3.7 Formability—All coppers form easily and readily and work harden slowly. Generally, Copper UNS Nos.
C10200 and C12200 may be best for severe cold forming, although for thin gage material, mill practices may
be adjusted to develop extreme ductilities in Copper UNS No. C11000.

Best results in cold forming operations are obtained through the use of nonleaded alloys, including copper,
silver-bearing alloys, and all nonleaded alloys containing more than 63% copper. Included in this list are the
phosphor alloys, nickel-silver alloys (65–18) nickel alloys, and the age hardenable alloys in the solution treated
condition. Some of the age hardenable alloys have excellent ductility even after fully heat treated and are
capable of being cold formed to a high degree.

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Copper Alloy UNS No. C26000 is the most widely used for operations such as cold drawing, upsetting,
stamping, and bending. Copper Alloy UNS Nos. C23000, C22000, and C21000 are not as strong as Copper
Alloy UNS No. C26000 but harden at a slower rate when cold worked, thereby allowing successive operations
without intermediate annealing.

Forming operations such as deep drawing, eyelet work, coining, flanging, spinning, or similar cold working, all
require annealed material usually ordered by specifying grain size. Care should be exercised to specify the
grain size most suitable for the part to be made. Depending upon the severity of the cold forming operation
during the production of a specific part, it is sometimes necessary for the fabricator to perform an anneal or
soften the material before further press operations can be successfully applied. The grain size of any of these
anneals must be controlled. Grain size that is too small can lead to breakage during forming, whereas
excessively large grain sizes may also lead to breakage because of lowering tensile strength of the alloy, or, if
the part does not fail, its surface may become excessively rough (a condition known as orange peel) and
require costly finishing operations where polishing and plating are required. Table 6 suggests approximate
annealing temperature ranges to apply for intermediate annealing. The alloy should be annealed at the lowest
temperature experimentally in seeking the proper grain size and smoothest polishing surface. It should be
remembered that insufficiently annealed work can always be reannealed at higher temperature. Overannealed
damage is beyond salvage.

Currently the trend is toward the use of thinner gages of strip for fabrication purposes. Reduction of grain size
to less than 0.010 mm makes available material of sufficient strength to withstand deeper drawing without
intermediate annealing processes.

Coining operations demand metal of large grain size for maximum sharpness of impression. Cold upsetting,
particularly of screws, rivets and bolts should be performed on metal lightly cold drawn to develop some
strength in unsupported sections to resist bending as the parts are being fabricated.

Where machining is an important factor in making the finished part and cold forming is part of the fabricating
process, leaded alloys in light drawn tempers are logical choices. The presence of lead results in easier
machining. Control of the lead content and temper allows the alloy to be cold worked as, for example, in thread
rolling.

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Table 3 lists cold workability ratings for various alloys. The ratings are arbitrary for their approximate relative
suitability for being cold worked; the ratings being excellent, good, fair, or not recommended. It must be
realized that such arbitrary ratings cannot be too precise, due to the multiplicity of cold working operations that
must be considered. Operations taken into account in assigning the ratings include drawing, forming,
stamping, spinning, bending, and heading. The ratings given take into account not only the relative power
required to cold work the alloy, but also the amount of deformation which is possible without fracture.

3.8 Bending—Bending is often the controlling factor in selection of temper for strip products. For a particular alloy
and thickness, the harder the temper the more generous the bending radius must be for successful bending.
Bending characteristics of strip are more favorable when the axis of the bend is at a right angle to the rolling
direction. Bending problems may be prevented when sharp or difficult bends must be made in more than one
direction by designing the bending tools to accommodate blanks cut on some axis other than parallel to the
direction of rolling. Table 7 recommends radii for forming 90 deg bends in respect to rolling direction, gage and
temper for various alloys.

3.9 Hot Forming—Copper and a series of copper alloys lend themselves well to production by hot forming,
die-pressed forging and extrusion. Where sufficient support is not provided by the tooling during hot working
operations, the higher leaded alloys become susceptible to cracking.

Alloys specified for hot forming include many coppers, zinc alloys containing 58–63% copper, tin alloys,
aluminum alloys, silicon alloys, and nickel-silver alloys. Table 8 lists the relative forgeability of the various alloys
and takes into account such variables as pressure, die wear, and hot plasticity.

3.10 Machinability—The addition of lead to copper alloys greatly improves their machinability. The greater the
amount of lead, the easier the alloy machines or cuts. Lead also improves the blanking quality in strip alloys by
reducing their ductility, thereby providing a sharp, clean shear.

Lead does not dissolve in copper or its alloys and is finely dispersed throughout the alloy. During a cutting
operation the presence of lead produces short or broken chips which are easily flushed away by lubricants.
Excellent finishes can be attained with the use of proper tools and feeds, and machining rates are frequently as
high as maximum machine capabilities. Screw machines often utilize speeds as high as 10,000 rpm producing
parts from free cutting zinc alloy rod. The Copper Base Alloy Rod Handbook, published by the Copper
Development Association (CDA), is recommended for information on tool shapes, feeds, speeds, and so forth.

Ordinarily, half hard Copper Alloy UNS No. C36000 containing about 3.25% lead is preferred for machining.
For knurling or thread rolling operations demanding greater ductility, softer or lower leaded alloys should be
specified.

Lead, tellurium, or sulfur added to copper combine the properties of pure copper with improved machinability,
and all three alloys may be used where the basic properties of copper itself are required. Lead is insoluble in
the copper and both tellurium and sulfur form insoluble compounds with copper thereby acting much in the
same manner as lead in producing chips during machining operations. Table 3 lists the arbitrary relative
machinability rating of many alloys. The numerical rating is a reasonable indication of the amount of power
required for any given type and degree of cutting operation, and tool life will be found to vary in proportion to
such a rating. The type of chip also plays an important part, for in certain operations almost any type of chip
can be tolerated; whereas in others, for example deep drilling, box milling and tapping, long stringy chips may
cause scoring of the stack and tool breakage. The table also lists the type of chip expected for each alloy by
designating with the letters L, M, or S, indicating that the chips are long, medium, or short.

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3.11 Joining—Copper and most of its alloys are readily joined by soldering and brazing and by most of the
commonly used welding processes. Table 3 indicates the approximate relative suitability of alloys for being
joined by various processes. The choice of method depends on shape of the work, composition of the metal,
and the end use of the product. Thus, where welded joints of maximum strength are required, it is necessary
to use Copper UNS Nos. C10200, C12000, C12200 or C14500 instead of the C11XXX types. Arc welding of
zinc-bearing alloys is hampered by the vaporization of zinc; so, 'if oxyacetylene welding is not feasible, the
parts are designed for brazing or soldering. On aluminum alloys, soldering is impossible, and brazing is
difficult because interfering oxides form even under very active fluxes; oxyacetylene welding is also impossible
because of interfering oxides; therefore, arc welding processes are the only practicable joining methods.
Brazing and soldering are the preferred methods for joining leaded alloys, because welding develops
increasing porosity and cracking as lead content increases.

Methods most commonly used are:

3.11.1 R ESISTA NCE WELDING—Applicable on all nonleaded alloys. Flash butt welding successful on all. Spot and
seam welding practicable on those with conductivities below 30%. Copper-silicon and copper-nickel alloys
are the most weldable and coppers are the least weldable.

3.11.2 GAS SHIELDED ARE W ELDING —Widely employed on all. Silicon and aluminum alloys are readily welded by
these processes. So are the nickel alloys if done with the specially alloyed filler metal developed for these
processes.

3.11.3 C OATED METAL ARC W ELDING —Excellent where good flux-coated electrodes are available, as for the nickel
alloys. Coated electrodes are also available for aluminum and phosphor alloys. Process is not suitable for
copper because of high heat requirements.

3.11.4 C ARB ON ARC WELDING—Less costly than gas shielded arc welding and produces good results on silicon
alloys. Also useful for welding copper with silicon or phosphor alloy rods.

3.11.5 OXY ACE TYLENE W ELDING—Good results on deoxidized copper using specialty alloyed welding rods, and on
silicon alloys. Excellent to zinc alloys if low fuming rods are used. Not suitable for aluminum alloys

3.11.6 BRAZING—Generally useful with either silver alloys or phosphorus alloys. Latter are less costly. They are
also considered self-fluxing on copper but best results require use of flux. Phosphorus alloys are often used
to join the 90–10 nickel alloy but are not recommended to use on alloys with higher nickel contents. Tough
pitch coppers are readily “gassed” and embrittled by exposure to hydrogen at high temperatures therefore
they are not suitable for parts to be furnace brazed in hydrogen bearing atmospheres, and they cannot be
safely brazed by flame processes if heating time is prolonged. Special fluxes are available to help in brazing
of aluminum alloys.

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3.11.7 SOLDERING —Readily done on all copper base metals except the aluminum alloys. Suitable fluxes are not
available for use on these alloys.

3.12 Effect of Temperature—Copper and its alloys are not harmed b temperatures as low as –185 °C, rather, a
gain in mechanical properties is noticed with decreasing temperature.

Most copper alloys do not find application above 200 °C since, dependent upon the amount of cold work
applied during fabrication, most of the alloys soften between 200 and 425 °C. Further, oxidation also must be
considered above these temperatures.

3.13 Color—Copper alloys are the only large tonnage metals that have a wide red and yellow color range. Red and
pink for the copper rich materials, gold shades for Copper Alloy UNS Nos. C21000, C22000 and C23000
although sometimes these alloys are also a pleasing red because of the formation of a superficial copper oxide
on the surface. The series of alloys becomes more yellow at 80% copper, 20% zinc (Copper Alloy UNS No.
C24000) and develop the familiar yellow at the 70–30 (Copper Alloy UNS No. C26000) composition. The color
reverses at about 55% copper, 45% zinc.

3.14 Surface Finishing—A number of types of mechanical finishes and treatments can be applied rather easily to
the copper alloys. Among these are deburring, bright rolling, ball burnishing, wheel polishing and buffing belt
polishing, scratch brushing, and sand blasting.

The highest luster that can be produced on copper alloys is by the combination of wheel polishing and buffing.
Both manually operated and automatic buffing equipment together with an assortment of polishing and buffing
wheels are available to accomplish this job.

Copper Alloy UNS No. C26000 lends itself extremely well to finishing such as just described and because of
this and its excellent corrosion resistance, is often used for such items as automobile wheel covers or hub
caps.

The ease with which a part can be polished can depend upon surface roughness termed orange peel which
can develop on cold drawn parts if the base stock before forming has a grain size over 0.050 turn and the
forming operation is severe. The degree of orange peel depends upon grain size and degree of forming.
Therefore, when surface finish is important after the forming of a given part, attention must be directed to the
grain size of the starting stock or to parts given an intermediate anneal in the fabrication sequence. Table 9 is
a guide to specifying annealed tempers for strip in relation to type of operation being performed, gage of the
material, and grain size.

Copper alloys in general offer a noncorroding surface for electroplating. A base electroplate of copper is
usually not necessary under nickel or chromium used as decorative electroplates. Therefore, copper alloys, in
general, allow thinner plates of such metals as tin, nickel, chromium, or silver, than do other metals.

Fused enamels are applied on Copper Alloy UNS Nos. C21000, C22000 and C23000 with very beautiful
effects. Alloys containing much more than 7% zinc should not be used with transparent enamels as cloudiness
or color change can result.

Tarnishing or discoloration of copper alloys may be retarded and, in many cases, delayed indefinitely by
application of a lacquer selected with consideration to the service environment in which the object is to exist.

There are literally hundreds of transparent coatings which can be applied to copper articles. Perhaps in no
other unit process of metal finishing is such a wide variety of materials available for use.

Lacquer or protective coating systems, which have very effectively protected the surface of copper alloys for
both interior and exterior exposure for a number of years, have been developed and time tested.

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3.15 Corrosion Resistance—Copper and copper alloys have been extensively and successfully used for many
years in a variety of corrosive conditions. Copper is highly resistant to the effects of atmosphere, naturally
occurring fresh and salt waters, alkaline solutions (except those containing ammonia) and many organic
chemicals. The severity of oxidizing conditions controls its behavior in acidic media. Many salt solutions are
successfully handled. Sulfur and its sulfide compounds do combine with copper to produce copper sulfide as a
corrosion product. As the zinc content of the copper alloys is increased over 15%, resistance to corrosion from
sulfide compounds is markedly increased. This fact is important when radiator materials are selected for
possible use on farm equipment that might come into contact with insecticide sprays that contain sulfur.

The commercial copper alloys vary widely in chemical composition; therefore, there is considerable variation in
their resistance to corrosion. Many of the alloying elements improve corrosion resistance of the parent metal
as well as enhance its mechanical properties.

Extensive use indicates the suitability and, often, superiority of copper and its alloys for many applications,
including the following broad classifications: atmospheric exposures, such as hardware, building fronts,
automotive radiators, and hub caps; fresh water supply lines, including those buried in soil; sea water
applications; heat exchanges; and industrial and chemical plant equipment handling a variety of products.

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4. Part II—Cast Copper Alloys

4.1 General— The cast copper base alloys consist of a relatively few families or alloy types which have become
standard through the years because of their excellent attributes for particular applications. Within each alloy
type, many commercial modifications exist. Those most commonly use by the automotive and related
industries are shown in Table 11 with the general characteristics and typical uses of each. Table 12 lists the
typical physical properties of these same alloys.

4.2 Types of Cast Alloys

4.2.1 Tin bronzes are predominantly copper plus tin. Variations containing up to 4% of zinc and 2% lead have
been used for pumps handling sea water, some acids, salt solution, and oils. Excellent worm gears are
made from tin bronze containing 8% or more tin. Up to 2% nickel may be added for other types of gears. An
alloy of 88Cu, 5 Sn, 5 Ni, 2 Z is heat treatable to provide higher strength. (Typical properties: 585 MPa [85
ksi] tensile strength, 415 MPa [60 ksi] yield strength, 8% elongation and Brinell 185.)

4.2.2 High lead tin bronzes are produced by adding lead to amount equal to or more than the tin content. These
are used for bearing applications where a combination of wear resistance and good anti-friction properties
are desired.

4.2.3 Lead red brasses are alloys of copper, tin, lead, and zinc. They are the most widely used of all cast copper
alloys and are satisfactory for a great many applications, including water pumps, small gears, fittings and
valve bodies.

4.2.4 Aluminum bronzes (alloys of copper, aluminum, iron, and, in some modifications, nickel) are used
extensively for structural applications. Their excellent resistance to corrosion leads to their use in sulfide
bearing environments and sea water. Some aluminum bronzes may be heat treated to quite high strength.
(Typical properties: 725 MPa [105 ksi] tensile strength, 415 MPa [60 ksi] yield strength, 5% elongation and
Brinell 220).

4.2.5 Leaded yellow brasses, containing copper, lead, and more than 20% zinc, are inexpensive free machining
general purpose alloys.

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4.2.6 High tensile brasses, also known as manganese bronzes, are alloys of copper, aluminum, manganese,
iron, and zinc. They are higher in strength than most of the cast copper alloys. In addition, they are readily
cast and possess fairly good corrosion resistance.

4.2.7 Special purpose alloys with exceptional corrosion resistance include silicon bronze, silicon brass and
copper-nickel.

4.3 Effect of Alloying Elements and Impurities

4.3.1 ZINC—Added to copper as a predominating alloying constituent in amounts of 5–40%, to form alloys known
as brasses. These group are called leaded red and semired, silicon, yellow, and high strength yellow
brasses. Zinc imparts strength. It is completely soluble in copper, forming solid solution except in such
cases as in high strength yellow brasses it which a duplex type of structure is obtained. Smaller amounts of
zinc up to 5% are used in tin bronzes to tighten up the structure and aid it producing sound castings for
pressure work. Zinc is not considered very detrimental impurity in most alloys. However, it is generally kept
to below 5% in bearing bronzes because large amounts would tend to impair bearing qualities.

4.3.2 TIN —Added to copper in amounts of 5–20% to form a series of alloys known as tin bronzes and leaded tin
bronzes. While the copper-tin constitution diagram shows that it is possible to have approximately 16% tin in
solid solution at 520 °C, the presence of a hard constituent (alpha-delta copper tin eutectoid) develops in the
range of 6–8% tin because of deviation from true equilibrium conditions. The tin strengthens and hardens
copper, making it tough and resistant to wear and increases its corrosion resistance. Smaller amounts of tin
are used in leaded red and semired brasses for increasing the strength of such general utility alloys. Tin is
not generally harmful as an impurity except in high tensile manganese bronze, where it is limited to 0.2%. It
is generally felt that in this alloy, tin lowers the strength and ductility.

4.3.3 LE AD—Added alone to copper in large amounts of around 35% for automotive bearings and agricultural and
aircraft gear pumps. In practically all other cases, it is added to copper base alloys as an additional alloying
element. Small amounts of lead up to 1.5% increase machinability without important decreases in strength.
Larger amounts of 5–25% increase machinability greatly, and, in tin-containing alloys, increase antifrictional
qualities, however, with reduction of strength.

4.3.4 ALUMINUM —Added to copper as a predominating alloying constituent to form a series of high strength alloys
known as aluminum bronzes. It is soluble in copper to the extent of about 9.5%. It is added to high strength
yellow brasses in varying amounts, being a very necessary part of the high tensile alloy. Aluminum, when
present as an impurity, has very detrimental effects upon high leaded bronzes, causing lead sweating and
unsoundness during solidification. It is also considered detrimental in the nonleaded tin bronzes, causing
unsoundness.

4.3.5 IRO N—Added to copper alloys as a strengthening constituent for silicon, aluminum, and manganese bronzes.
It combines with aluminum or manganese or both to form hard compounds. These compounds imbed
themselves into the matrix to give the alloys wear resistance. Iron, when present as an impurity, is not
desirable since it forms hard spots and is detrimental to machining.

4.3.6 PHOSPHORUS —Added to copper and copper alloys principally as a deoxidizer. It is added to bronzes in
greater amounts than necessary for purely deoxidization considerations to improve hardness and wear
resistance, particularly in chill mold castings.

4.3.7 N ICKE L—Added to bronzes as an alloying constituent for refining the grain and toughening the alloy. It is also
used in amounts up to 15% for nickel brasses to displace that amount of zinc. In this alloy, it promotes
strength, corrosion resistance, and whiteness. Nickel is added to some of the high tin gear bronzes to
provide improved wear characteristics. When present as an impurity, it does not have detrimental effects;
and most specifications permit approximately 1%.

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4.3.8 SILICO N—Added to copper as an alloying constituent to form copper-silicon alloys. These alloys have high
corrosion resistance, high strength, and toughness. Small amounts of silicon are used as deoxidizing
elements. When silicon is present as an impurity, it is extremely detrimental in leaded tin bronzes, promoting
unsoundness and lead sweating.

4.3.9 BERYLLIUM —Added to copper together with small amounts of cobalt or nickel as an alloying constituent to
form a series of precipitation hardenable beryllium-copper alloys. When hardened, these are the strongest
of the known copper alloys. They are used for plastic molds, resistance welding electrodes, welding gun
components and nonsparking tools. Beryllium, though rarely present as an impurity, has the effect of
increasing fluidity and decreasing electrical conductivity in most of the copper alloys

4.3.10 MANGANESE—Used primarily as an alloying constituent for high strength alloy brasses, where it forms
compounds with other alloying elements such as iron and aluminum. It is also used, to some extent for
deoxidizing. It is not considered very detrimental as an impurity.

4.3.11 C HROMIUM —Added to copper as an alloying constituent to produce a precipitation-hardening type alloy,
which in the heat treated condition, has mechanical properties far exceeding that of copper at a slight
sacrifice of the electrical conductivity. Heat treatment develops a nominal hardness of 120 Brinell and a
nominal electrical conductivity of 80% IACS. The alloy in the heat treated condition is useful for resistance
welding electrodes where high electrical conductivity coupled with strength and hardness values superior to
copper are desired. Chromium is generally not present as an impurity.

4.3.12 ANTIMONY—Rarely added to copper alloys. When present as an impurity, it is not considered very detrimental
in amounts up to 0.5%. If present in greater amounts, it does tend to decrease physical properties.

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5. Notes

5.1 Marginal Indicia—The change bar (l) located in the left margin is for the convenience of the user in locating
areas where technical revisions have been made to the previous issue of the report. An (R) symbol to the left
of the document title indicates a complete revision of the report.

PREPARED BY THE SAE NONFERROUS METALS COMMITTEE

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Rationale—Not applicable.

Relationship of SAE Standard to ISO Standard—Not applicable.

Application—For convenience, this SAE Information Report is presented in two parts as shown below. To
avoid repetition, however, data applicable to both wrought and cast alloys is included only in Part 1.

Part I—Wrought Copper and Copper Alloys

Types of Copper (Table 1)

General Characteristics (Table 3)
Electrical Conductivity
Thermal Conductivity
General Mechanical Properties (Table 10)
Yield Strength
Fatigue Strength
Physical Properties (Table 2)
General Fabricating Properties (Table 3)
Formability
Bending
Hot Forming
Machinability
Joining
Surface Finishing
Color
Corrosion Resistance
Effect of Temperature
Typical Uses (Table 3)

Part II—Cast Copper Alloys

Types of Casting Alloys

Effects of Alloy Elements and Impurities
General Characteristics (Table 11)
Physical Properties (Table 12)
Typical Uses (Table 11)

Reference Section

ASTM B 3—Specification for Soft or Annealed Copper Wire

ASTM B 16—Specification for Free-Cutting Brass Rod, Bar, and Shapes for Use in Screw Machines

ASTM B 21—Specification for Naval Brass Rod, Bar, and Shapes

ASTM B 36—Specification for Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

ASTM B 68—Specification for Seamless Copper Tube, Bright Annealed

ASTM B 75—Specification for Seamless Copper Tube

ASTM B 97—

ASTM B 98—Specification for Copper-Silicon Alloy Rod, Bar, and Shapes

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ASTM B 103—Specification for Phosphor Bronze Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

ASTM B 111—Specification for Copper and Copper-Alloy Seamless Condenser Tubes and Ferrule Stock

ASTM B 121—Specification for Leaded Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

ASTMB122—Specification for Copper-Nickel-Tin Alloy, Copper-Nickel-Zinc Alloy (Nickel Silfer) and

Copper-Nickel Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

ASTM B 133—Specification for Copper Rod, Bar, and Shapes

ASTM B 134—Specification for Brass Wire

ASTM B 135—Specification for Seamless Brass Tube

ASTM B 138—Specification for Manganese Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes

ASTM B 139—Specification for Phosphor Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes

ASTM B 150—Specification for Aluminum Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes

ASTM B 151—Specification for Copper-Nickel-Zinc Alloy (Nickel Silver) and Copper-Nickel Rod and Bar

ASTM B 152—Specification for Copper Sheet, Strip, Plate and Rolled Bar

ASTM B 154—Method of Mercurous Nitrate Test for Copper and Copper Alloys

ASTM B 159—Specification for Phosphor Bronze Wire

ASTM B 169—Specification for Aluminum Bronze Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

ASTM B 171—Specification for Copper-Alloy Condenser Tube Plates

ASTM B 194—Specification for Copper-Beryllium Alloy Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

ASTM B 196—Specification for Copper-Beryllium Alloy Rod and Bar

ASTMB280—Specification for Seamless Copper Tube for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Field Service

ASTM B 283—Specification for Copper and Copper-Alloy Die Forgings (Hot-Pressed)

ASTM B 301—Specification for Free-Cutting Copper Rod and Bar

ASTM B 441—Specification for Copper-Cobalt-Beryllium and Copper-Nickel-Beryllium Rod and Bar

ASTM B 453—Specification for Copper-Zinc-Lead Alloy (Leaded-Brass) Rod

ASTMB534—Specification for Copper-Cobalt-Beryllium Alloy and Copper-Nickel-Beryllium Alloy Plate,

Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar

Developed by the SAE Nonferrous Metals Committee