Materials · Brass

Brass CNC Machining Service

Free-cutting, red and commercial-bronze grades machined to your drawing — 3 copper-zinc grades published here, from C360 free-cutting through C230 and C220.

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3Grades published

±0.125mmAchievable · ISO 2768

0.75 mmMinimum wall

3–10 daysPublished lead time

A sawn brass round bar — polished end face, oxidised golden surface, machining marks visible

S1 · Specifications

What we hold on brass

Six numbers a buyer asks for before sending a drawing. Everything here is
already published on this page — nothing is extrapolated.

Process

CNC mill · CNC lathe3-axis and 5-axis milling, turning

Achievable tolerance

Not lower than ±0.125mm (±0.005″)Based on the drawing, ISO 2768

Minimum wall

0.75 mmVaries with the alloy and the size of the part

Maximum part size

200 × 80 × 100 cmLargest envelope quoted online

Lead time

3–10 daysComplex parts sit at the far end

Price band

$$Where brass sits against the other 22 materials

Read this first. Process, maximum part size and lead time are
identical on all 23 material pages — they describe the shop, not the material. They sit
here as a one-line constant instead of taking a column each in a nine-column table, which
is how they were published before. The three that genuinely change material by material
are tolerance, minimum wall and price band.

S2 · Grade guide

The 3 brass grades on this page

Family for each published grade, read off the UNS designation itself, so nothing here can drift out of date. None of the three hardens by heat treatment — they are single-phase copper-zinc alloys, worked and annealed.

Grade matrix · sourced from the published brass list on this page

Grade	AISI / UNS	Family	Heat treatment	Where it usually fits
Brass (C360)	UNS C36000	Free-cutting brass (Cu-Zn-Pb)	Not hardenable — stress relief only	Screw-machine parts: fittings, connectors, bushes, valve bodies
Brass (C230)	UNS C23000	Red brass (Cu-Zn, 15% Zn)	Not hardenable — stress relief / anneal	Plumbing and heating tube, architectural trim, hardware
Brass (C220)	UNS C22000	Commercial bronze (Cu-Zn, 10% Zn)	Not hardenable — stress relief / anneal	Hinges, fasteners, decorative and architectural hardware

Deliberately missing: tensile strength, hardness and
density. They move with temper — the same C220 is roughly twice as strong half-hard
as it is annealed — so one figure per grade would mislead. Ask for the datasheet in
your temper, or state the temper on the drawing and we machine and confirm to it.

One grade is leaded. C360 free-cutting brass contains lead
because that is what makes it machine fast and clean. It is the right grade for a
fitting or a bushing and the wrong one for anything that touches drinking water, food
or long-term skin contact. Say what the part touches on the drawing and the grade is
confirmed before the first cut rather than after.

S3 · Which grade?

Four questions, then a grade

This page used to answer none of these. Each card points at a page that
already exists on this site — written before this redesign, and previously linked from
nowhere on this page.

High volume, small part, and the cycle time is what costs you?

C360 free-cutting brass is the grade that turns fastest, and on a screw-machine part that is the whole cost. It is the grade this page publishes for exactly that job.

Copper Copper vs brass

Read copper vs brass →

Colour and corrosion matter more than cycle time?

C230 red brass and C220 commercial bronze both hold their colour better and resist atmospheric attack better than the leaded free-cutting grade. They cut slower; they look like something.

Copper

Compare with copper →

Is it really conductivity you are after?

Then the copper page is the one to read: its two published grades are the ones specified for bus bars, gaskets and connectors, where brass gives away conductivity for machinability.

Copper CNC machining

See the copper page →

Not sure it should be a copper alloy at all?

Aluminium, stainless, steel and cast iron each have a page here. Brass is chosen for machinability, colour and corrosion resistance — when none of those three is what the part is for, the honest answer is usually a different material.

Aluminum Stainless steel Cast iron Titanium

See all 23 materials →

Comparing Brass with something else?Send the model and the drawing. If the material is still open, the grade call comes back with the price instead of as a separate question.

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S4 · Machining & tolerance

What governs the part you get

The published tolerance on this page is Not lower than ±0.125mm (±0.005″)
on the drawing, to ISO 2768. Where a feature needs better than that, say so on the
drawing — that conversation belongs before the tool goes in, not after.

ISO 2768 general tolerancesWhat we hold when the drawing stays silent Tolerance & fits standardThe shop standard behind the number above DFM guidelinesWall thickness, fillets, thread depth — read before you draw Machinability of materialWhy some grades cut slower, and what that costs

S5 · Finishes

Finishing a brass part

This is the copper-alloy set of finishes. Passivation and black oxide — the
two cards the steel pages carry — do not apply to brass, and heat
treatment is stress relief only: none of these grades hardens.

Electroless nickelEven build on complex geometry Nickel platingBarrier layer under chrome PolishingThe finish copper alloys are bought for Bead blastingMatte, pre-coat key Yellow chromateTarnish inhibitor for copper alloys Fine machiningTighter Ra band Heat treatmentStress relief only — these grades do not harden All 20 finishesWith Ra bands and process notes

S6 · Applications

Where brass earns its cost

Electrical & electronicConnectors, terminals, contacts and hardware
Plumbing & heatingFittings, valves, taps and tube for water and gas service
Automotive & defenceFittings, bushes and machined hardware
Architecture & hardwareVisible trim, fasteners, hinges and decorative parts

All of it cut on the same floor —
see CNC machining and
how we hold tolerance.

A machined brass hex nipple with threaded ends and cross-drilled flow holes — A hex nipple in free-cutting brass, threaded and cross-drilled — as machined.

S7 · Further reading

Six pages worth reading before you pick

All published, all on this site, none of them linked from this page before
this redesign.

Material choiceCopper vs brass: what actually separates themWhere conductivity, colour and machinability trade offRead →

MachinabilityMachinability of material and its relation with CNC machiningWhy the free-cutting grade exists at allRead →

TolerancesNavigating the precision of ISO 2768: a guide to standard tolerancingHow the general-tolerance standard readsRead →

Material choiceCommon materials for CNC machiningWhere the copper alloys sit next to everything elseRead →

FinishingChrome plating vs nickel platingThe two finishes brass is usually sent for, comparedRead →

Other metalCopperThe page buyers usually compare brass againstRead →

Reading first, or ready to quote?The pages above set out the trade-offs. If the part is already drawn, send it and the quote comes back in one business day on a clean drawing.

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S8 · FAQ

7 questions brass buyers actually ask

Every answer traceable: published figures from this page, published pages
from this site. No new claims.

Which brass grades can you machine?

The 3 published on this page: C360 free-cutting, C230 red brass and C220 commercial bronze. If the drawing calls for something outside that list, send it — the list is what we publish, not the limit of what the shop quotes.

What tolerance can you hold?

±0.125 mm, on the drawing, to ISO 2768 — the figure published on this page. Where a feature needs tighter than that, mark it on the drawing so it is priced and inspected as a controlled feature.

What is the smallest wall and the largest part?

Minimum wall is 0.75 mm and it varies with the alloy and the part. Maximum envelope is 200 × 80 × 100 cm. Both are shop-wide constants, identical on all 23 material pages.

How fast is a brass part?

3 to 10 days, with complex parts at the far end. Brass is one of the fastest metals to cut, so a simple turned part sits near the front of that window rather than the back.

Can you heat treat brass?

Stress relief, yes — it is one of the finishes we run. Hardening, no: C360, C230 and C220 are not heat-treatable alloys, and no heat treatment will make them harder. Strength comes from temper — cold work — which is a mill condition rather than a shop step.

What files should I send?

STEP, STP, IGES, IGS, SLDPRT, STL, DXF, DWG, PDF, DOCX, JPG, JPEG, PNG or ZIP. A 2D PDF plus the model is the combination that gets quoted fastest — and for brass, put the temper and the finish you want on it.

Is my drawing kept confidential?

Uploads stay with the people quoting and making the part. If you need a mutual NDA in place first, say so on the contact form and it is arranged before files change hands.

Next step

Send the drawing — we come back with a grade and a price

Upload the model and the 2D PDF. You get a manufacturability note, a grade recommendation if the drawing leaves it open, and a price.

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All 23 materials

All uploads are secure and confidential.

Quoted in 1 business day on a clean drawing
Grade and heat-treat condition confirmed in writing
First article inspected before the run