UNS C85900 Yellow Brass
C85900 brass is a brass formulated for casting. Cited properties are appropriate for the as-fabricated (no temper or treatment) condition. It has a fairly high ductility among cast brasses. In addition, it has a fairly low melting temperature and a moderately high embodied energy.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare C85900 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
30 %
Poisson's Ratio
0.31
Shear Modulus
40 GPa 5.8 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
460 MPa 67 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
190 MPa 27 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
170 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
130 °C 260 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
830 °C 1530 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
790 °C 1450 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
390 J/kg-K 0.093 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
89 W/m-K 52 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
20 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
25 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
28 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
24 % relative
Density
8.0 g/cm3 500 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
2.9 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
49 MJ/kg 21 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
330 L/kg 39 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
110 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
170 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
7.3 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
20 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
16 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
17 points
Thermal Diffusivity
29 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
16 points
Alloy Composition
Among cast copper alloys, the composition of C85900 brass is notable for including zirconium (Zr). Zirconium is used to increase recrystallization temperature and to permit or facilitate certain forms of heat treatment.
| Cu | 58 to 62 | |
| Zn | 31 to 41 | |
| Ni | 0 to 1.5 | |
| Sn | 0 to 1.5 | |
| S | 0.1 to 0.65 | |
| Al | 0.1 to 0.6 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.5 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.25 | |
| B | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Zr | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Sb | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Pb | 0 to 0.090 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.010 | |
| P | 0 to 0.010 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.7 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993