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June 19th, 2017

6/19/2017

19 Comments

 
The Differences Between Bronze & Brass    
 

When it comes to scrapping materials, a lot of people that do not have much experience can often mix up brass and bronze. Both of these materials are often found in pipes and plumbing fixtures and almost have a similar appearance to a non-trained eye. Usually scrappers try to separate copper from other less valuable materials, leaving them to lump all of the “yellow” metals together and just call it brass. Sometimes those yellow metals may consist of bronze as well as brass. It’s important to identify the difference as bronze is worth anywhere between ten and 25 cents per pound higher than brass.       
 
Brass vs Bronze
 
Brass
 
Most commonly found in plumbing systems, brass is an abundant non-ferrous (non-magnetic) metal. You will see it used quite a bit in faucets, fixtures, and pipe joints. Being an alloy metal, brass consists of two metals- copper and zinc. Copper is a red colored metal, while zinc is colored silver and both appear on the periodic table of elements. Most brass is made up of around 70% copper and about 30% zinc.  
 
Some Common Brass Materials Are:
 
Brass Shells
Brass Pipe
Clean Brass Turnings
Plumbers Brass
Yellow Brass
 
Bronze
 
Not as common as brass, bronze costs a little bit more to create and purchase. Bronze is much heavier than brass but is also a non-ferrous and alloy metal. Also found commonly in plumbing fixtures, bronze can also be found in things like home décor and statues. Bronze may also be found in water meters. Bronze usually has a reddish appearance due to it makeup, being about 90% copper and 10% zinc.     
 
Some Common Bronze Materials Are:
 
Bronze Turnings
Bronze
Red Brass
Semi-Red Brass
 
 
So, What Are the Differences Between Brass & Bronze?
 
Knowing that both metals are made of the same elements it can be hard to decipher the difference between the two. The main indicating factor of the differences between brass and bronze is that bronze will have a much redder color hue than brass would. Brass will look more yellowish due to its higher zinc content. Brass is worth more money due to it being made up almost entirely of copper, which is worth more than zinc.   
 
How To Spot The Difference
 
With an untrained eye or no proper tools, identifying the difference between brass and bronze can be difficult. It takes a well-seasoned scrapped to be able to figure out the difference between the two in a short amount of time. Plumbers will also have an easier time knowing the difference as they work with these two materials almost exclusively.    
 
Most scrappers will need what’s called an XRF analyzer to figure out the exact breakdown of the materials in metal, without one it can be near impossible to know the exact specifics of the tested metal. One way to easily get a decent idea of what’s what without an XRF is to file down a part of the metal until you just get the surface off. Once that’s done take a look and see if the color is more reddish or yellow. Red, and it’s most likely bronze. Yellow, and there is a good chance that it is brass. Bronze will also be much dense and heavier that a similar sized piece of brass, so do a quick feel of the two materials as well.   
 

19 Comments
Fay link
4/28/2020 11:29:55 am

I really liked that you mentioned that bronze will usually have a much redder hue than brass and that this is one of the ways to identify them. My mom told me that she has been considering to collect copper and sell it to buyers, so she can become better at recycling. If I were in her situation I would look for copper everywhere, including all my old appliances and other things.

Reply
Greta James link
5/4/2020 12:55:50 pm

Thank you so much for informing me that bronze is about 90 percent copper and is much heavier than brass! My sister loves unique and custom decorations, and she just moved into a new home. I want to get her an incredible house warming gift, and I think she would love something made from bronze. I will have to look into casting professionals that could make something incredible for her.

Reply
SOBlacksmithy
11/7/2020 10:05:16 pm

You mentioned at the beginning that bronze is more expensive then brass. Then a little bit down when explaining how to identify them you say that brass is more expensive because of its higher copper content. I understand prices often change according to the content of certain elements, but you might want to make it less contradicting. Thanks for a great article though.

Reply
Rae freedman
12/1/2021 03:03:41 pm

BIG MISTAKE. SHOULD CORRECT IT

Reply
Jeffrey Anthony Tommasi
12/27/2020 07:15:07 pm

Sorry to tell you about your typo. At least, I hopenit is a typo. Brass in NOT more expensive than Bronze. Other way around.

Reply
David Woodruff
10/14/2021 12:10:54 pm

See last sentence in the first paragraph...the article does state that bronze is more expensive than brass. How did you interpret this as
brass is more expensive. Bronze is more expensive due to its higher copper content...

Reply
Burnaby water heater link
3/17/2021 07:33:40 am

It’s interesting to read what other people thought about scrap news and how it relates to them or their clients, as their perspective could possibly help you in the future. I must say this is one of the best among them

Reply
Karl Riemer
3/18/2021 01:32:56 pm

"Bronze usually has a reddish appearance due to it makeup, being about 90% copper and 10% zinc."
False. And the error is repeated so it isn't mere carelessness. Bronze is an alloy of Cu & Sn, not zinc, so it's qualitatively different from brass, not just a different ratio of constituents.

Reply
Suneel Kulkarni
1/6/2023 12:22:03 pm

Kark is right. Bronze is Copper and Tin.

Reply
David Johnson
3/19/2021 09:28:10 am

This summary makes you look uninformed; bronze is not copper and zinc, it is copper and tin. This is basic, no one in the business would make your mistake, you should fix it.

Reply
JP Mathieu
4/11/2021 09:15:35 am

thank you for your article.
At some point you say Bronze is much heavier than brass. This is also what I always thought. But just before reading your article, I searched for the density of each metal. It is basically the same thing (around 8.7). Would be nice to have final answer... Thank you

Reply
David Woodruff
10/14/2021 12:13:43 pm

Do the math for the constituent densities, it is all in the periodic chart.

Reply
Boiler Service North Vancouver link
4/25/2021 04:47:53 pm

Thank you very much for sharing these ideas. I really appreciate your efforts for creating this exceptionally well content. I was looking for such content about scrap news, you have really helped me with the same, great post!!

Reply
Charlene fuentes socias
6/8/2021 11:06:31 am

I have a bronze here sir how can I sell you

Reply
Mia Evans link
7/16/2021 01:01:54 am

Thanks for pointing out that bronze would usually have a redder color compared to brass. I guess we might have bronze in the basement which was hoarded by my dad before. I hope I can sell it for a good price because I need extra money for bills and debts I need to pay.

Reply
Emma Whitaker
7/17/2021 08:10:00 am

The article says "Brass will look more yellowish due to its higher zinc content. Brass is worth more money due to it being made up almost entirely of copper, which is worth more than zinc." What am I missing here? Brass is higher in zinc content and is more yellowish. OK. But, in the next sentence the article says brass has a higher zinc content and because copper is more expensive than zinc, brass is more expensive? How does that work? I would think that the higher content of the cheaper zinc would make brass less expensive, not more.

Reply
Chris
8/2/2021 06:45:08 pm

I design jewlery out of the cooper and I even figured out how to plate the copper a gold matte color....

Reply
Hailey Miller link
12/20/2021 08:42:03 pm

Thanks for pointing out that bronze is a non-ferrous and alloy metal. I would imagine that any organization would want to have quality bronze sculptures. I think they should look for a reliable company that has mastered the craft of bronze sculpting to ensure quality products at an affordable rate.

Reply
Braden Bills link
5/9/2022 08:54:09 am

I've got some old metal pieces, and I'm not sure what to do about them. It's good to know that you can recycle them. That seems like a good way to ensure that I handle everything properly.

Reply



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