UNS C85500 Yellow Brass
C85500 brass is a brass formulated for casting. Cited properties are appropriate for the as-fabricated (no temper or treatment) condition. It has a fairly low base cost among cast brasses. In addition, it has the highest ductility and a moderately high thermal conductivity.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare C85500 brass to: cast brasses (top), all copper alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Brinell Hardness
85
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
100 GPa 15 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
40 %
Poisson's Ratio
0.31
Rockwell B Hardness
55
Shear Modulus
40 GPa 5.8 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
410 MPa 60 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
160 MPa 23 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
170 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
120 °C 250 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
900 °C 1650 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
890 °C 1630 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
390 J/kg-K 0.092 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
120 W/m-K 67 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
21 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
26 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
29 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
23 % relative
Density
8.0 g/cm3 500 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
2.7 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
46 MJ/kg 20 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
320 L/kg 38 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
130 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
120 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
7.3 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
20 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
14 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
15 points
Thermal Diffusivity
38 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
14 points
Alloy Composition
Among cast copper alloys, the composition of C85500 brass is notable for including manganese (Mn). Manganese is used to improve strength without a proportional reduction in ductility.
| Cu | 59 to 63 | |
| Zn | 35.1 to 41 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Sn | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Pb | 0 to 0.2 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.9 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASM Specialty Handbook: Copper and Copper Alloys, J. R. Davis (editor), 2001