🟡 BRASS
Brass CNC Machining and Precision Parts Sourcing in Appleton, WI
Few materials run through a CNC shop as cleanly and economically as free-machining brass. For buyers sourcing precision turned components, fittings, valves, and connectors in Appleton, WI, brass is often the first material evaluated when corrosion resistance, conductivity, low friction, and machinability must balance against cost. The Fox Valley corridor has screw machine shops and CNC turning operations that have processed brass bar stock continuously for decades, supplying the region's industrial equipment, plumbing, automotive, and electrical assembly industries. Understanding which brass grade matches your application determines whether you get maximum value or pay a premium for properties you don't need.
ISO 9001IATF 16949ISO 14001
C360 Free-Machining Brass: The Fox Valley Production Standard
C360 (UNS C36000, 61.5% Cu, 35.5% Zn, 3% Pb) is universally recognized as the most machinable copper alloy — machinability rating of 100 on the standard scale, which is the reference point against which all other metals are measured. The 3% lead addition creates internal stress concentrators that cause chips to fracture cleanly and short rather than forming the stringy tangles that plague pure copper or high-zinc brasses. Surface finish on turned C360 is exceptional: Ra 16 is achievable as a standard turning operation without secondary finishing, and Ra 8 or better is reachable with a fine finish pass. Fox Valley CNC turning and screw machine operations producing high volumes of brass fittings, connectors, valve components, and instrumentation parts run C360 as their default brass specification.
C360 is available as shelf-stocked round bar in virtually every diameter from 0.125" to 6" at regional service centers in Milwaukee and Chicago with next-day delivery to Appleton. Hex bar for across-flat-dimension machined hex fittings, square bar, and flat bar are also stocked. The wide availability means Fox Valley shops can support rapid prototyping turnarounds — prototype brass parts from drawing to first article in 3-5 business days at shops with open CNC capacity is realistic for simple geometries.
For production volumes above 500-1,000 pieces, Fox Valley shops with multi-spindle screw machines or Swiss-type CNC lathes can drive C360 brass cycle times to remarkable levels — a simple threaded fitting 0.75" in diameter and 1.5" long might complete in under 30 seconds cycle time on a multi-spindle screw machine, enabling economical production at 5,000-50,000 piece volumes.
C260 Cartridge Brass and Formed Components
C260 (UNS C26000, 70% Cu, 30% Zn) — cartridge brass — sacrifices the lead addition for dramatically better formability and cold-working behavior. Named for its original application in drawn ammunition cartridge cases, C260 can be cold-worked, deep drawn, stamped, and formed to extreme deformation levels without cracking. This makes it the specification for stamped electrical terminals, connector shells, spring contacts, drawn shells, and formed brackets where the manufacturing process involves significant plastic deformation rather than subtractive machining.
Fox Valley stamping shops that work C260 produce components for automotive electrical systems, plumbing fittings, HVAC hardware, and musical instrument components — all applications that draw on C260's combination of good corrosion resistance, moderate conductivity (28% IACS), attractive gold appearance when polished, and excellent press-working behavior. Forming operations including deep drawing, progressive die stamping, coining, and piercing are all standard at Fox Valley stamping houses that work this grade.
C260 sheet and strip are stocked by regional copper and brass service centers in Milwaukee and Chicago in gauges from 0.010" to 0.125" in annealed and various cold-rolled tempers (H01 through H04). Temper selection affects springback in bending and formed part springback — Appleton fabricators experienced with brass stamping maintain bend tables for each temper and gauge to hit angular and dimensional tolerances on formed parts without iterative trial runs.
Naval Brass for Corrosion-Critical Industrial Applications
Naval brass (C46400, UNS C46400, 60% Cu, 39.25% Zn, 0.75% Sn) adds tin to the basic 60/40 alpha-beta brass composition to improve resistance to dezincification — the selective leaching of zinc from brass in certain water conditions that leaves a spongy, weakened copper skeleton behind. Dezincification is a real failure mode in plumbing, marine, and process water applications and led to the formulation of Naval brass and other dezincification-resistant (DR) grades. For Fox Valley industrial applications involving exposure to process water, cooling water systems, or potentially aggressive aqueous environments, Naval brass or other dezincification-resistant grades (C69300 EcooBrass, BioBrass alloys) are the appropriate specification over standard C360.
Naval brass machines well — not as freely as C360 due to its different microstructure and the absence of the lead machinability additive in the basic specification — but acceptably for valve bodies, pump components, marine fittings, and plumbing hardware. Fox Valley shops with plumbing and water treatment equipment experience have C46400 in their material repertoire. Availability is more limited than C360 bar stock; plan 3-7 days for material procurement from brass specialty distributors.
For drinking water applications in Wisconsin and nationally, the NSF/ANSI Standard 61 and NSF/ANSI Standard 372 (lead-free) now drive specification choices in potable water contact fittings. Standard C360 with its 3% lead content does not meet the Annex G lead-free requirements (maximum 0.25% weighted average lead); buyers specifying fittings for potable water systems should look at certified low-lead or no-lead brass alloys such as C87850, C89550, or bismuth-substituted alloys. Fox Valley shops familiar with the plumbing supply chain understand these regulatory requirements.
Quality Documentation and RFQ Strategy for Appleton Brass Suppliers
For production brass components entering automotive or industrial OEM supply chains, material certifications (mill certs documenting chemistry to ASTM B16 for C360 bar, or ASTM B134 for C260 wire and rod) are a standard RFQ deliverable. Dimensional inspection reports with Cpk data for critical features are expected from suppliers on PPAP Level 2 or 3 programs. Fox Valley shops running automotive brass connector programs maintain SPC (statistical process control) on critical dimensions — OD, thread pitch diameter, bore diameter — and can provide process capability data at PPAP submission.
For faster sourcing of brass machined components in Appleton, ManufacturingBase allows buyers to filter by material (brass), process (CNC turning, screw machine, Swiss turning), volume capability, and certification level simultaneously. Providing a 2D drawing with full GD&T and a STEP file in the RFQ package produces faster and more accurate quotes than a sketch or verbal description. For screw machine or Swiss-type CNC production runs, specify the expected annual volume clearly — it determines whether the shop proposes a cam-driven screw machine, a CNC screw machine, or a conventional CNC turning center setup, each with different tooling investment and per-piece economics.
Frequently Asked Questions
C360 free-machining brass has a machinability rating of 100 on the standard comparative scale — it is the reference material against which all other metals are measured. 1018 steel rates approximately 78, 6061-T6 aluminum rates around 130-150 depending on the source, and 304 stainless steel rates approximately 45. In practical terms, the machinability rating translates to achievable cutting speed before tool wear becomes uneconomical — higher rating means faster production rates, lower tooling cost per part, and better surface finish at a given cutting speed. For a Fox Valley shop running C360 brass, a simple turned fitting might complete in 15-25 seconds cycle time on a CNC screw machine. The same part geometry in 303 stainless would take 60-90 seconds. Over a 10,000-piece production run, that difference represents many hours of machine time and a significant per-piece cost difference. This is why C360 is so dominant for high-volume precision turned components across the Fox Valley industrial base.
Dezincification is a corrosion mechanism in which zinc is selectively leached out of brass alloys by certain water chemistries — typically soft, slightly acidic, low-chloride water or hot water systems in municipal plumbing. The zinc goes into solution and leaves behind a porous copper matrix that has lost most of its mechanical strength and can fail catastrophically under pressure. Standard C360 (35.5% zinc) and C260 (30% zinc) are both susceptible in aggressive conditions. Naval brass (C46400) adds 0.75% tin and uses a modified microstructure that significantly reduces dezincification tendency. For the most demanding applications, dezincification-resistant alloys certified to BS EN 12165 or similar testing standards (such as C69300 or the newer bismuth-alloy grades) are specified. Wisconsin code and most current plumbing codes following NSF/ANSI 372 for lead-free compliance also restrict the alloys permissible in potable water contact applications. Confirm with your engineering team and the applicable plumbing code before specifying a brass grade for water system components.
Yes — Swiss-type CNC turning (sliding-headstock lathes) is well-suited for small-diameter brass parts, and several Fox Valley precision shops operate Swiss-type machines for high-volume connector, pin, and fitting production. Swiss-type machines support the workpiece close to the cutting tool via a guide bushing, which enables high-accuracy turning of small-diameter parts (typically 0.5" diameter and under) with minimal deflection — critical for long, slender parts like terminal pins, medical device screws, and instrumentation fittings. Dimensional repeatability of ±0.001" or better on diameter in C360 brass is standard production capability on Swiss-type CNC. For parts with multiple turned features, cross-holes, slots, and thread forms, Swiss-type machines complete everything in one pass through the machine, eliminating the secondary operations that add cost and handling damage risk. Volume-per-shift capabilities depend on cycle time but for simple turned brass parts, 500-2,000 pieces per machine per shift is realistic. Inquire specifically about Swiss-type capability when sourcing small brass turned parts in the Fox Valley.
Brass components commonly receive electroplated finishes for corrosion protection, appearance, or functional properties. Nickel plating (ASTM B689, electroless nickel per ASTM B733, or bright electroplated nickel) over brass provides corrosion protection and a silver appearance, with typical thicknesses of 0.0002-0.0005" for appearance and up to 0.001" or more for wear resistance. Tin plating (ASTM B545) is the standard for brass electrical connectors and terminals — 0.0002-0.0003" is the typical range for solderability protection and contact resistance control. Gold plating (ASTM B488) over nickel underplate is used for precision electronic connectors requiring maximum conductivity and corrosion protection at contact interfaces; this is a specialty process available through plating shops in the Milwaukee area. Chrome plating over brass is used for decorative hardware (plumbing fixtures, automotive trim) where appearance is the primary driver. For outdoor industrial applications requiring heavy corrosion protection without plating, powder coating of brass fabrications is available. Fox Valley shops typically coordinate plating as a subcontract operation and include it in a turnkey quote.
The federal Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act (effective January 2014) and Wisconsin DNR regulations require that wetted components in public water systems contain a weighted average lead content of 0.25% or less. Standard free-machining brass C360 contains 3% lead by weight and is definitively non-compliant for potable water contact applications. For Fox Valley buyers sourcing brass components for plumbing, water treatment, or food-processing applications with water contact, the specification must shift to a certified low-lead or no-lead alloy: C87850 (silicon bronze family, excellent machinability), C89550 (bismuth-tin alloy, designed as a drop-in C360 substitute for screw machine applications), or C89833 (bismuth alloy). These alloys are more expensive than C360 by 15-30% and may not be locally stocked — plan material lead times accordingly. NSF/ANSI 61 certification of the finished fitting or valve is a separate requirement for devices entering regulated water systems. Confirm which standard applies to your product with your product compliance team before specifying a material to Fox Valley suppliers.
Last updated: July 2026
Find Brass Manufacturers in Appleton, WI
Search verified Appleton shops that work in Brass.
No logins. No email gates. Just results.