C23400 Brass vs. 2011 Aluminum

C23400 brass belongs to the copper alloys classification, while 2011 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys. There are 22 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (10, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is C23400 brass and the bottom bar is 2011 aluminum.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		110
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		71

Poisson's Ratio		0.32
Poisson's Ratio		0.33

Shear Modulus, GPa		42
Shear Modulus, GPa		27

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		370 to 640
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		310 to 420

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		190
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		390

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C		160
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C		190

Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C		970
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C		640

Melting Onset (Solidus), °C		930
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C		540

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		390
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		870

Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K		120
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K		140 to 170

Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		19
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		23

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative		27
Base Metal Price, % relative		11

Density, g/cm³		8.5
Density, g/cm³		3.1

Embodied Carbon, kg CO₂/kg material		2.6
Embodied Carbon, kg CO₂/kg material		7.9

Embodied Energy, MJ/kg		43
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg		150

Embodied Water, L/kg		320
Embodied Water, L/kg		1150

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		7.2
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		13

Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		19
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		44

Strength to Weight: Axial, points		12 to 21
Strength to Weight: Axial, points		27 to 37

Strength to Weight: Bending, points		13 to 19
Strength to Weight: Bending, points		32 to 40

Thermal Diffusivity, mm²/s		36
Thermal Diffusivity, mm²/s		51 to 64

Thermal Shock Resistance, points		12 to 22
Thermal Shock Resistance, points		14 to 19

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), %		0
Aluminum (Al), %		91.3 to 94.6

Bismuth (Bi), %		0
Bismuth (Bi), %		0.2 to 0.6

Copper (Cu), %		81 to 84
Copper (Cu), %		5.0 to 6.0

Iron (Fe), %		0 to 0.050
Iron (Fe), %		0 to 0.7

Lead (Pb), %		0 to 0.050
Lead (Pb), %		0.2 to 0.6

Silicon (Si), %		0
Silicon (Si), %		0 to 0.4

Zinc (Zn), %		15.7 to 19
Zinc (Zn), %		0 to 0.3

Residuals, %		0
Residuals, %		0 to 0.15