🟡 BRASS
Brass Machining & Turned Components in Boise, ID
Brass is the material that makes high-volume machining economical. When a part needs to be turned by the thousands, threaded fittings, valve bodies, electrical terminals, precision connectors, C360 free-machining brass runs faster and cleaner than almost any other metal. Boise's precision shops keep brass on their Swiss and screw-machine lines for exactly this reason, while C260 cartridge brass covers deep-drawn and formed work and naval brass handles marine and seawater service.
ISO 9001ISO 14001
Why Brass Wins on the Screw Machine
Brass, specifically C360 free-machining brass, is the benchmark against which all other materials' machinability is measured, often rated at 100 percent on the standard scale that puts most steels and aluminum far lower. The lead content makes chips break into small, clean pieces, lets tools run at high speeds with long life, and produces excellent surface finishes straight off the machine. For a Boise shop running production turned parts, that translates directly into faster cycle times, less tool consumption, and lower per-part cost.
This is why brass dominates high-volume turned components: hose and pipe fittings, valve and regulator bodies, threaded inserts, electrical pins and terminals, and precision connectors. On a CNC Swiss or multi-spindle screw machine, brass parts come off fast and finished, often needing little or no secondary work. For customers who need thousands of small precision parts at a competitive price, brass is frequently the lowest-total-cost material, and Boise shops with screw-machine and Swiss capacity are set up to deliver them in volume.
C360, C260, and Naval Brass
C360 (free-cutting brass) is the high-volume machining champion, roughly 60 percent copper and 35-plus percent zinc with a small lead addition for machinability. It is the default for turned fittings, fasteners, valve components, and any part where machining speed and finish drive the economics. Where lead-free is required (potable-water plumbing now mandates low-lead alloys under regulations like NSF/ANSI 372), shops substitute low-lead brasses, so confirm whether your application falls under drinking-water rules.
C260 (cartridge brass), about 70 percent copper and 30 percent zinc, trades some machinability for excellent ductility and formability, making it the choice for deep-drawn, stamped, and formed parts, ammunition cases (its original use), terminals, and components that must be cold-worked rather than machined. Naval brass adds a small amount of tin to improve resistance to seawater and dezincification, making it the pick for marine hardware, fittings, and fasteners exposed to saltwater where standard brass would corrode. Choosing among them is straightforward: C360 for machined parts where speed matters, C260 for formed and drawn parts, and naval brass for marine and corrosion-exposed service.
Electrical, Decorative, and Plated Finishes
Brass serves double duty as both a functional and an attractive material. Electrically, it offers moderate conductivity, lower than copper but adequate for many terminals, connectors, and contact components, combined with the machinability copper lacks, which is why so many electrical pins and terminals are turned from brass and then plated. Tin, nickel, silver, or gold plating tunes the contact properties and corrosion resistance for the application, and Boise shops coordinate these through regional finishers.
Decoratively, brass's gold-like color makes it popular for architectural hardware, fixtures, and trim, where it may be polished, lacquered to prevent tarnish, or plated with nickel or chrome. For these parts, surface finish and cosmetic consistency matter as much as dimensions. Brass also resists corrosion well in general atmospheric and freshwater environments without plating, though it tarnishes over time. When sourcing brass parts in Boise, specify whether the part is functional, decorative, or both, the required plating or finish, and, critically, whether it must be low-lead or lead-free for drinking-water or RoHS compliance, since that determines the exact alloy the shop can use.
Frequently Asked Questions
C360 free-machining brass is the easiest common metal to machine, which directly lowers cost. It is rated at the top of the standard machinability scale (often the 100 percent reference point), well above aluminum and far above steels and stainless. The lead in the alloy causes chips to break into small clean pieces instead of forming long strings, lets cutting tools run at high spindle speeds with very long tool life, and produces excellent surface finishes straight off the machine with little or no deburring or secondary finishing. On a CNC Swiss or screw machine running production quantities, those advantages compound into short cycle times, low tooling consumption, and minimal secondary operations, which is why per-part costs on brass turned components are often lower than the same geometry in any other metal. For a Boise shop with screw-machine or Swiss capacity, high-volume brass fittings and fasteners are bread-and-butter work. If your part is a small precision turned component made in quantity, brass is frequently the lowest-total-cost material, so it is worth evaluating even if your first instinct was steel or aluminum.
You need low-lead or lead-free brass if your part contacts potable (drinking) water, because regulations such as NSF/ANSI 372 and the federal Safe Drinking Water Act limit lead content in wetted plumbing components to a weighted average of 0.25 percent. Standard C360 free-machining brass contains enough lead to fail those rules, so for faucets, valves, fittings, and any wetted plumbing part, shops substitute low-lead alloys (such as C27450, C46500-type, or proprietary low-lead brasses) or alternative materials. The trade-off is machinability: low-lead brasses cut noticeably harder than C360, with shorter tool life and slower speeds, which raises cost somewhat, and they may require different tooling and feeds. They also need certification to prove compliance. If your part does not touch drinking water, mechanical fittings, electrical terminals, decorative hardware, standard leaded brass is fine and cheaper to machine. If it does, or if RoHS/lead-restriction rules apply, tell your Boise supplier up front so they select a compliant alloy and provide the certification, because retrofitting compliance after machining is not possible.
Choose C260 (cartridge brass) when the part is formed, drawn, stamped, or bent rather than machined, because C260's higher copper content (around 70 percent) gives it excellent ductility and cold-formability that C360 lacks. C360 is optimized for machining and is relatively brittle, it would crack if you tried to deep-draw or sharply bend it, whereas C260 was literally developed for deep-drawing ammunition cartridge cases and excels at stamped terminals, drawn enclosures, formed contacts, and any part that must survive significant cold working. The trade-off is that C260 machines much more slowly than free-cutting C360, so it is not the choice for high-volume turned parts. The decision is therefore about the dominant process: if your part is primarily turned or milled, use C360 for machining speed and finish; if it is primarily formed, drawn, or stamped, use C260 for formability. For a part that needs both, your Boise supplier can advise on the best compromise or a sequence. Provide the part geometry and how it will be made, and they will match the alloy.
For genuine saltwater or marine exposure, naval brass is worth specifying because standard brasses are prone to dezincification, a corrosion process where zinc leaches out of the alloy in the presence of chlorides, leaving a weak, porous, copper-rich structure that fails mechanically. Naval brass adds a small amount of tin (and is sometimes inhibited with arsenic) specifically to resist dezincification and improve seawater corrosion resistance, making it the right pick for marine fittings, fasteners, valve components, and hardware exposed to saltwater. Standard C360 or C260 will corrode and weaken in that environment over time. That said, if your part only sees freshwater, general atmospheric conditions, or indoor use, standard brass is fine and cheaper, naval brass is overkill for non-marine service. The decision hinges entirely on chloride exposure. For a Boise build, tell your supplier whether the part faces saltwater, brackish water, or marine atmosphere, and they will specify naval brass where it is needed and standard brass where it is not, avoiding unnecessary cost while preventing premature corrosion failures.
Yes. Brass is a common base for plated electrical terminals because it machines fast and cheap, then takes plating well, and Boise shops coordinate plating through regional finishers. The plating choice depends on the electrical and environmental requirements. Tin plating is the most common and economical, it solders well, resists corrosion, and provides reliable low-current contact, making it the default for many terminals and connectors. Nickel plating gives a hard, corrosion-resistant barrier, often used as an underlayer or where durability and wear resistance matter. Silver plating offers very low contact resistance for higher-current or RF applications. Gold plating, usually over nickel, is reserved for high-reliability, low-signal, or corrosion-critical contacts where its inertness and stable contact resistance justify the cost. For most general brass terminals, tin is the practical choice; step up to silver or gold only when the current level, signal sensitivity, or environment demands it. When sourcing in Boise, specify the plating type, thickness, the surfaces to be plated (often just the contact zone), and any solderability requirements so the shop masks and plates correctly.
Last updated: July 2026
Find Brass Manufacturers in Boise, ID
Search verified Boise shops that work in Brass.
No logins. No email gates. Just results.