What is stronger brass or bronze. We learn to identify copper and distinguish it from other metals and alloys. How to distinguish brass from bronze with a magnet

Brass and bronze have different chemical composition and properties, but the appearance of these alloys is almost identical. It is very difficult for an ordinary person who is not involved in the industrial production of alloys to distinguish bronze from brass. Therefore, it is worthwhile to figure out what properties are characteristic of these alloys, what are their differences, and how to determine which alloy the purchased item is made of.

Properties of bronze and brass

Bronze and brass are metal alloys that are made from copper. The difference between them lies in the main alloying material. This affects the physical and chemical properties of these alloys. Accordingly, the composition of bronze and brass directly affects the scope of these materials.

Bronze is an alloy based on copper with the addition of alloying materials such as tin, beryllium, silicon, aluminum and lead. Other components may also be used, such as zinc or nickel. In this case, the alloy is called spiatr, it is much cheaper, but also inferior in physical characteristics.

There are several types of bronze alloys, which differ depending on the main alloying component. To date, there are:

• tin;
• beryllium;
• silicon;
• aluminum.

There is also a classification depending on the presence of tin in the composition. Based on this, tin bronze is distinguished - an alloy of copper and tin, and tinless. There is also an arsenic type, but today it is not used in production.

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, with the possible content of other components: nickel, lead, tin, iron, manganese and others. This alloy has been known since ancient times. It was most likely developed by the Romans, who alloyed copper with zinc ore. Zinc in its pure form began to be used only at the end of the 17th century in England.

Brass is similar to gold, which is why it was often used to counterfeit gold coins.

Due to its fine-grained structure, it is widely used in industry. To date, the production of steel-brass bimetal has become popular. The finished material has increased resistance to corrosion and physical wear. At the same time, such an alloy is quite ductile and can be easily cast and physically bent.

There is a variety called tompak, which is used in artistic casting, the manufacture of accessories and insignia.

The main differences between alloys

Despite the similar appearance due to the use of copper as a base, bronze and brass have certain differences, which is justified by the addition of tin and zinc. Due to this, the scope of both materials is quite wide and varied.

Bronze is quite often used by sculptors. It is excellent for the production of monuments, sculptures, busts, fences and other artistic products. It can stand for hundreds of years without changing its shape and structure. Brass is rarely used for such purposes, due to the high ductility of this alloy, which negatively affects the durability and wear resistance of sculptures.

Because of its properties, one of which is its resistance to salty sea water, bronze has been widely used in the maritime industry in the past. In order for brass to acquire the same property, it is necessary to add alloying components such as aluminum, tin or lead.

Despite the outward similarity, there are slight differences between bronze and brass that can be seen with the naked eye. The main thing to highlight is the difference between bronze and brass in color. Bronze has a dark brown tint, while brass is lighter, resembling gold due to its yellowish tint.

The main differences between these two alloys should be highlighted:

1. Bronze is produced by fusing copper and tin, with the possible addition of various impurities. Brass is obtained by producing an alloy of copper and zinc, but, like bronze, it may contain additional components.
2. Bronze is characterized by a coarse-grained structure, brass, in turn, is fine-grained and rather smooth. You can see the structure by examining metal products at a break.
3. Bronze is dark brown, brass is yellowish.
4. Bronze is resistant to aggressive environments, while brass can be destroyed even under the influence of sea water. This is the variety of applications of alloys.
5. Products made of bronze are much stronger and heavier than brass, and also have increased wear resistance.
6. Due to its properties, bronze is used much more often in industry, but brass is used as part of the steel-brass bimetal, the properties of which exceed those of bronze.

Despite many differences, it is rather difficult to determine in everyday life what alloy the product is made of, but using several methods you can cope with this task.

How to distinguish brass from bronze at home

Very often, when buying old furniture, figurines and other items, there is a dilemma of what material they are made of. At first glance, they are no different, but with a closer look and the use of several methods of determination, it is possible to accurately determine the type of alloy.

To date, there are several ways to distinguish brass and bronze at home:

1. Eye definition. To do this, you need to have products from two alloys so that you can compare them. Taking them in hand, you can clearly determine that bronze is much heavier than brass. With good lighting and a clean surface, you can see the color of the surface in detail. Bronze is much darker and brass is yellower.
2. If you have several identical items of low value, you can damage one of them. With bronze, it is harder to do this, since it is much stronger. Having broken the object, you should look at the fracture. Brass has a fine-grained and smooth structure.
3. The most reliable way to distinguish is exposure to reagents. But for this you need to have certain equipment, experience with reagents and nitric acid.

First you need to make some metal shavings, then place them in separate test tubes and fill them with a 50% solution. After most of the dissolution, the test tubes need to be heated. The liquid with brass will remain transparent, and a white precipitate of tin will appear in the liquid with bronze.

In the absence of reagents, you can use a solution of sea salt by placing shavings in it. Bronze shavings will not change in any way, and brass shavings will change their appearance.

You can also just look at the item. If the old item has not succumbed to change and destruction after many years, then it is most likely bronze, since it is much more resistant to external influences and less prone to wear.

You can understand the differences between copper and bronze if you compare the basic properties of metals, origin, scope. Copper in the form of nuggets and grains without impurities was discovered in the Stone Age. It was used by people for the production of knives, weapons, dishes, jugs, bowls, household items and various devices. After the discovery of bronze - an alloy of tin and copper, the popularity of the latter increased even more, but with the advent of iron, mining decreased. With the discovery of electricity, metal regained its former popularity. As an excellent conductor of electricity, it is actively used in modern industry.

Properties and characteristics of copper

When interacting with atmospheric oxygen, a yellow-red oxide film is formed on the surface. In its pure form, the metal is characterized by sufficient ductility and softness. The hardness of the material increases with the addition of tin impurities, as a result of which bronze appeared - the oldest alloy created by ancient man. Lead and zinc added to bronze make it more fluid and softer. From this type of metal, ship propellers, sculptures, and medals are obtained by casting.

Unlike iron, it does not have magnetic properties, but it has high electrical and thermal conductivity, which explains a wide range of applications. With the addition of impurities, these properties are reduced. A refractory, but not very hard metal is characterized by a high boiling point, melting point, and density.

In matters of the corrosion process, it exhibits high resistance. For example, when interacting with water, iron oxidizes faster. The chemical activity of the metal is low; in dry air, oxidation does not occur. Amphotericity or duality is expressed in the ability to exhibit characteristics, depending on the conditions, the parameters of the base or acid. The metal is easily rolled into sheets and strips, stretched into a thin wire with a thickness of thousandths of a millimeter.

Important differences

Copper and bronze are very similar in color. When scrap is handed over, alloys are evaluated in laboratory conditions. It is not difficult to make a distinction, if necessary, given the characteristic features of the bronze alloy. These include:

• more ductile copper has a red-pink or red-brown tint, the color of bronze depends on the dominant element: magnesium, beryllium, aluminum, which give it reddish-gold, grayish-brown, pink, yellow-pink hues;
• when exposed to a saline solution, objects made of copper change color, darken, and bronze retains its shade unchanged;
• according to the properties of elasticity, the copper wire or plate simply bends by hand, when drilling, ornate chips are formed, when drilling a hard and brittle alloy, chipped sawdust, thin and small, is formed;
• bronze products, depending on the composition, are quite difficult to bend; they can surpass even steel in strength;
• in the process of natural patination, copper products become covered with a greenish coating upon prolonged contact with air; this reaction is not typical for bronze products.

Commercial component

In the non-ferrous metals market, the purchase of copper scrap is in great demand, the price range of which is at a fairly high level. You can make good money, but you can get a smaller amount on the wholesale delivery of bronze scrap. The final cost of scrap is determined at the points of acceptance of metals and their alloys at the time of the transaction.

Naturally, brass and bronze are different alloys, but how can they be distinguished from each other in on-board conditions? This is what will be discussed in our article.

Definition of Bronze and Brass

It is an alloy of copper with tin, aluminum, lead, silicon, belirium and some other elements. But still, tin is used to obtain high-quality bronze. But you can also find alloys where nickel or zinc is used.

Bronze is classified into two large groups:

Tinless bronzes.

Brass- This is also an alloy with copper, but unlike bronze, zinc is the main alloying element.

Outwardly similar to gold, in connection with which it was previously used to produce fake gold.

Now, brass is used to obtain a steel-brass bimetal (resistant to corrosion and mechanical stress). One of the varieties of brass - tompak, is widely used in the manufacture of artistic fittings.

Brass is classified into two compositional groups:

One-component;

Multicomponent.

The difference between bronze and brass:

1. Bronze tolerates contact with salty sea water, while brass alloy requires special protective alloying.

2. Bronze is more durable and wear-resistant than brass, which is why it is used to make monuments. The softness of brass is used in art products.

3. Brass has a yellow color (similar to gold) and is fine-grained, bronze, in turn, is dark brown in color, and is a coarse-grained alloy.

Bronze and brass are very similar in appearance. However, they differ significantly in their chemical composition and characteristics. The metallurgical industry clearly distinguishes one alloy from another. But in domestic conditions, it can be very difficult for a buyer to figure this out, especially when a rather expensive bronze thing is purchased. Therefore, it is extremely important to know how to distinguish bronze from brass.

Characteristics of metals

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, silicon, beryllium, aluminum, lead and other elements. However, only tin is quite often used in order to obtain high-quality bronze. There are also alloys that use nickel and/or zinc. They are called spiatr and are a cheap analogue of bronze.

Depending on which metal is present in the alloy, bronze is distinguished:

• tin;
• beryllium;
• aluminum;
• silicon.

Thanks to this variety, the material is divided into two large groups - tin and tin-free. Arsenic bronze also existed earlier, but it was not widely used.

Brass is also an alloy, but here the main element is zinc in combination with copper, to which nickel, tin, lead, manganese, iron or other elements can sometimes be added. Already in ancient Rome, methods for obtaining this alloy were known. The Romans learned to smelt copper with zinc ore. Only in 1781 in England, pure zinc began to be used to obtain brass. In the nineteenth century, due to its special color, this metal began to be used as fake gold, and this quickly spread to many countries.

Currently, such an alloy is used in order to obtain a steel-brass bimetal. It is resistant to corrosion and abrasion, and is also quite ductile. In addition to the fact that brass is used in industry, its variety, called tompak, is quite often used for the manufacture of fittings, art products and insignia.

Comparison of two metals

As mentioned above, copper is used to obtain bronze and brass. However, its combination with tin or zinc contributes to the production of alloys that have different properties and are used in various fields.

For example, bronze is considered a material favored by sculptors for busts, railings, monuments, and other items that require durability and beauty. Brass is practically not used for such purposes, it is only occasionally used to create any artistic products. The reason is the plasticity of the metal, it wears out quite quickly, while bronze monuments can stand for centuries.

An interesting fact is that bronze products have been used in maritime affairs since ancient times. They are excellent resistance to salt water, while brass in its pure form is completely incapable of this. To achieve certain properties, alloying with aluminum, lead or tin is required.

The appearance of these alloys is also slightly different. Bronze has a coarse texture dark brown. Brass is much lighter, because of its characteristic yellowness it resembles gold, and its structure is fine-grained.

Many expect large sums and good earnings from the sale. Instead of the planned amount, they are offered a smaller one, which causes not only indignation, but also distrust of the non-ferrous scrap metal collection point. The cause of this problem is mistaking scrap for copper. The delusion is primarily caused by the color of products, chips, metal waste.

Brass or copper?

Brass is similar in color to copper, as it is present in the brass composition. Based on this, a regularity follows: the greater the percentage of Cu in the alloy, the more pronounced the reddish-brown color will be. Alloys containing less than 80% copper are easy to identify visually, as the yellow color, reminiscent of gold, dominates.

If the scrap consists of shavings, it will not be difficult to determine copper. Copper shavings have an ornate appearance. When processing brass, the chips take on needle-like chipped shapes.

The most erroneous is the adoption of L-96 steel for copper, since Cu in the composition reaches 95-97%. At the collection points of "Russlom" we accept scrap copper after identifying the real alloy. For this, an examination is carried out. Only after analysis can a final conclusion be made. Even an experienced specialist will not always be able to determine "by eye" scrap metal.

To independently make sure that you are handing over scrap copper, you can conduct an analysis at home. This will require hydrochloric acid. One drop will be enough to see the reaction and draw the appropriate conclusions. When hydrochloric acid gets on copper, it eliminates oxides and makes the copper surface visually clean. When interacting with an alloy of brass, the acid will cause a reaction during which a white substance will be released. This is zinc chloride, which is inevitably formed, since the L-96 alloy contains Zn.

Bronze or copper?

Bronze is a type of copper alloy, which includes tin, manganese, aluminum, silicon and other substances. You can distinguish bronze from copper by knowing the features of the bronze alloy. Change copper scrap always carried out with a laboratory evaluation of the alloy, if the color shade is very similar to copper.

Distinctive are the following characteristics of metals:

• Color. Copper has a reddish brown and reddish pink color. Unlike the dominant element (aluminum, beryllium, magnesium, etc.), the bronze alloy takes on shades from yellow-pink, pink or grayish brown to reddish gold.
• Color change on contact with hot saline. It is enough to dilute the salt in water and heat the solution. The copper poured by him will begin to change its color, darken, unlike bronze.
• Elasticity. Copper is a soft metal, so you can bend a thin plate or wire with one hand. Bronze, depending on the composition, can surpass even steel in terms of strength.
• Natural patination. If copper products interact with the atmosphere for a long time, the process of patination appears - a coating of a greenish color with a substance that serves as protection against corrosion.

Issue price

If we consider the price side, then the purchase of copper scrap is the most expensive. This is the most profitable metal for people who want to make money on the sale. You will receive a smaller amount, but also a decent income, by renting bronze scrap in bulk or in a small amount. The cheapest among the copper, bronze and brass groups is the latter. You can find out the final cost on the day of sale by driving to the nearest collection point or by calling us.