Brass vs Stainless Steel: Know the Difference before ...

Alloys are among the oldest and most valuable discoveries of mankind. They&#;ve helped expand our capacity for construction and served as the building block of innovation. For millennia, we&#;ve mastered the craft of creating alloys to meet the ever growing demand for superior materials and managed to succeed every time.

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Two of our greatest creations are, arguably, brass and stainless steel. Packed with useful properties, they are staple materials for a vast range of applications, including construction, transportation, machine building, and plumbing. But which of them is better? Or is it necessary to compare? Let&#;s find out the truth about the &#;brass vs stainless steel&#; quandary.

Composition and Properties

The best way to differentiate between brass and stainless steel is to know their composition. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, while steel is an alloy of iron, carbon, and chromium. Just by their base metal, you can easily tell which has suitable properties for particular applications. For instance, in terms of corrosion resistance, iron pales in comparison to copper. In fact, iron is the metal that makes ferrous metals rust fast.

Simply put, brass is generally more corrosion-resistant than stainless steel. While the addition of chromium to steel makes a whole lot of difference to its ability to resist rust, it is still susceptible to corrosion at some degree.

When it comes to electrical and thermal conductivity, brass outmatches stainless steel by fifteen times. It also has a higher thermal expansion coefficient, which makes it perfect for applications that involve extremely high temperatures, including furnaces and engines.

In terms of manufacturing cost, there&#;s no significant difference between brass and steel, although steel is much more difficult to machine than brass. Brass, after all, is well-known for its machinability, which is why it is the metal of choice for applications that require small, precise metal pieces, so steel doesn&#;t stand a chance.

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Stainless steel, on the contrary, has a higher resistance to petroleum products and many acids than brass, and it can be passivated in either citric or nitric acid solutions. Some grades of stainless steel are also superior to brass in more-aggressive marine environments such as fast-moving currents.

Where to Find Brass

Finding the right metal for your projects can be daunting, but if you go to the right supplier, it won&#;t be that hard. How do you find a good supplier then? Well, there are a few things you need to watch out for.

First, and most important, is the number of years the supplier has been established. After all, it makes more sense to trust someone who&#;s had many years of experience than someone who&#;s just starting. An experienced supplier has tackled virtually all kinds of material needs from all sorts of customers, so there&#;s a good chance they can meet your needs pretty easily.

Next, make sure that they specialize in copper products. This way, you can be sure of the quality of your brass supplies. Some of the country&#;s brass metal sheet suppliers, such as Rotax Metals, offer an immense selection of brass supplies. You won&#;t run out of choices unlike when you go to a supplier that offers a wide range of metals.

DON&#;T BE FOOLED BY BRASS PLATING

After production, brass items are either left raw, lacquered, or plated. Not all brass products are what they seem, however. While solid brass is pure brass and nothing else, some products may not be solid brass, but brass-plated. In this case, the item is composed of brass on the outside, but not on the inside. Brass-plating typically means that the product is made out of zinc or steel, but has a thin layer of brass on the exterior, and it is then finished with a lacquer to maintain its color and protect its brass shell. While brass-plated items may look just as good as solid brass when new, they break or wear easily and lose their luster.

IS STAINLESS STEEL BETTER THAN BRASS?

Like brass, stainless steel is also an alloy, composed of iron, carbon, and chromium. This composition leads stainless steel to have great strength too, but a much different appearance than brass. It is a strong and functional metal, but lacks the visual appeal of solid brass. Stainless steel&#;s strength and corrosion-resistance make it well-suited for tools and industrial uses, such as appliances, surgical uses, and machinery.

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