🟡 BRASS
Brass Machined Parts and Precision Turning in Evansville, IN
Brass is one of the most CNC-machinable metals in the periodic table, and Evansville's precision turning shops know it well. The combination of free-cutting C360 on Swiss-style lathes for high-volume connector bodies and valve stems, C260 in the stamping presses for formed electrical components, and Naval brass for marine and corrosion-resistant fluid-handling parts covers a wide slice of the southwestern Indiana manufacturing output. ManufacturingBase maps the Evansville-area brass supply chain so buyers can find qualified precision-turning and fabrication shops with documented capabilities and real lead times.
ISO 9001IATF 16949ISO 14001
C360 free-machining brass (UNS C36000, 61.5% Cu, 35.5% Zn, 3% Pb) holds a machinability rating of 100 on the standard index — it is literally the reference material from which all other metals are measured. The lead additions create short, brittle chips that break cleanly, allow cutting speeds of 200–400 SFM on standard carbide tooling without built-up edge problems, and produce surface finishes of 32–63 Ra as-machined without special effort. For high-volume turned parts — fittings, valve stems, connector bodies, threaded inserts, manifold ports, instrument housings — C360 is the first material choice in Evansville shops that run Swiss-style (sliding headstock) lathes or multi-spindle turning centers.
Evansville's automotive supply chain is a consistent source of C360 brass work: fuel system components, sensor housings, transmission fluid fittings, and electrical ground studs are produced in the tens of thousands from 3/8"–1.5" C360 hex or round bar at shops with multi-spindle or CNC single-spindle turning capability. Automotive-facing shops running IATF 16949 quality systems produce first-article inspection reports, control plans, and SPC data on C360 turned parts — documentation discipline that benefits buyers across all industries, not just automotive. The combination of fast cycle times, long tool life, and high process consistency makes C360 brass one of the most cost-effective precision-turned part materials available.
The trade-off with C360 is its lead content: at 3% lead, C360 is not compliant with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) or NSF 61 (potable water) regulations without exemption. For automotive applications, the RoHS exemption for leaded copper in electrical connectors and bushings applies in most cases; for potable water or food-contact applications, buyers must specify lead-free alternatives such as C36500 (uninhibited admiralty) or C69300 (SiliconBronze). This is a material selection issue that experienced Evansville shops will raise at the RFQ stage if the application context is provided.
C260 Cartridge Brass for Forming, Stamping, and Sheet-Metal Applications
C260 (UNS C26000, 70% Cu, 30% Zn, 'cartridge brass' or '70/30 brass') is the forming and cold-working alloy of the brass family. Its higher zinc content compared to red brass and lower zinc content compared to yellow brass positions it at the sweet spot for deep drawing — the process of forming flat sheet into cup, shell, or tube geometries under compressive radial stress. The name 'cartridge brass' reflects its historical use in drawn ammunition cases, but the same formability that works for cartridge cases works for automotive terminals, electrical contacts, connector shells, and plumbing fittings made by progressive-die stamping.
In Evansville's stamping and forming sector, C260 sheet and strip in gauges from 0.010" to 0.125" feeds the presses producing automotive terminal blanks, grounding clips, and formed housings. Its tensile strength ranges from 47 ksi (annealed, H00 temper) to 76 ksi (spring, H08 temper), giving designers a range of mechanical properties achievable through temper selection without changing alloy — a useful flexibility for parts that need to be formed first (requiring soft temper) then spring back against a mating surface in assembly (requiring harder temper). The annealed-then-formed approach is standard: buy strip in H01 or H02 temper, form in progressive dies, and rely on work hardening from forming to achieve the final temper in the finished part.
C260 also solders and brazes readily, which supports Evansville automotive and industrial customers who assemble multi-piece brass components by brazing rather than mechanical fastening. Oxy-acetylene and induction brazing with BCuP-5 or BAg-series filler metal produce joint strengths that approach or exceed the base metal — appropriate for fluid-system fittings and heat-exchanger assemblies where joint integrity under pressure cycling is required.
Naval Brass and Corrosion-Resistant Applications in Southwestern Indiana
Naval brass (C46400, 60% Cu, 39.2% Zn, 0.8% Sn, UNS C46400) was formulated for seawater corrosion resistance in marine hardware, and its tin addition inhibits dezincification — the selective corrosion of zinc from the brass matrix that leaves a porous, weak copper sponge. While Evansville is a river city rather than a coastal one, the corrosion-resistance requirement for naval brass appears in industrial fluid-handling equipment, chemical-processing components, and outdoor hardware exposed to the wet Indiana climate and road-salt environments.
For valve bodies, pump housings, manifold blocks, and fittings in non-potable industrial fluid systems, naval brass offers a cost advantage over stainless steel while providing corrosion resistance that exceeds standard C360 or C260 in chloride-containing environments. Its machinability rating of approximately 30–40 (versus C360's 100) means machining costs are higher than free-cutting brass — comparable to 303 stainless — but the material cost is lower than stainless and the part is lighter, which sometimes tips the total-cost calculation in brass's favor.
For Evansville buyers sourcing fluid-handling components, the dezincification question matters: uninhibited yellow brass (C26000 in non-marine applications, or C28000 Muntz metal) will dezincify in hot, slightly acidic water — a failure mode seen in decades-old plumbing systems. Specifying naval brass C46400 or arsenic-inhibited brass for any fitting that contacts warm water or mildly aggressive fluids is the technically correct choice, and Evansville suppliers who work in this space know the distinction well. ManufacturingBase profiles include application-specific material notes where suppliers have documented experience with corrosion-resistance requirements.
Plating and Secondary Finishing for Brass Parts in Evansville
Brass parts leaving Evansville machine shops frequently go on to secondary finishing before final delivery — the brass substrate is a good base for most platings because its surface can be prepared to excellent adhesion with standard cleaning and activation chemistries. Nickel plating (electroless or electrolytic) over brass is one of the most common combinations in the automotive and electrical sectors: nickel provides a barrier against brass tarnish and oxidation, improves surface hardness (electroless nickel at 45–58 HRC equivalent), and provides a decorative appearance where appearance matters. For electrical contacts, silver plating over a nickel strike on brass is standard practice — the nickel prevents silver migration into the brass substrate (which would degrade contact resistance), and the silver outer layer provides the conductivity and corrosion resistance required for reliable electrical connections.
Tin plating on brass is the standard for electrical terminals in the automotive sector — SAE/USCAR-2 specifications cover tin-plated brass terminals for automotive wiring harness connectors, and this is a high-volume production process that Evansville-area plating shops supporting the automotive supply chain perform routinely. Bright tin, matte tin, and reflow tin (tin electroplated then reflowed to a bright finish) are all available, with matte tin preferred for many automotive connector applications because it avoids the tin-whisker growth potential associated with bright tin deposits.
For decorative brass parts — architectural hardware, instrument panels, equipment nameplates — lacquering or clear coating preserves the brass appearance while preventing tarnish. Local industrial finishing shops handle lacquer coating in batch quantities, and buyers should specify the gloss level (high gloss, satin, matte) and the UV stability requirement (indoor versus outdoor exposure) to get an accurate quote. ManufacturingBase supplier profiles identify shops with plating and finishing capability alongside their machining operations, allowing buyers to source complete, finished parts from a single supplier.
Frequently Asked Questions
C360's 100 machinability rating is not just a number — it translates to real production economics. At 200–400 SFM cutting speeds with carbide tooling, cycle times are short; tool life is measured in thousands of parts rather than hundreds; chip evacuation is clean and predictable; and surface finishes of 32–63 Ra come off the machine without deburring or secondary operations in most cases. For a shop running 10,000 fittings or connector bodies per week, the difference between C360 and a less machinable alloy (say, 304 stainless at machinability ~40) is the difference between running the job on one machine versus two or three — a major cost impact. The lead content does require careful routing away from potable water and some RoHS-controlled applications, but for the vast majority of industrial, automotive, and HVAC applications in the Evansville market, C360 is the correct default choice and the one experienced shops will recommend if the drawing doesn't specify otherwise.
C360 (free-machining brass, 61.5/35.5/3 Cu/Zn/Pb) is optimized for machining — the lead additions make it the most machinable common metal. C260 (cartridge brass, 70/30 Cu/Zn) is optimized for cold forming and deep drawing — it has no lead, higher ductility, and excellent formability that C360 cannot match. For a part that will be made by CNC turning from bar stock, C360 is the right choice and will cost less to produce. For a part that will be made by stamping or deep drawing from sheet or strip, C260 is the right choice — trying to deep-draw C360 will produce cracking because its lead content reduces ductility below what the forming operation requires. Some parts are hybrids: a brass fitting might be turned from C360 and a formed spring clip in the same assembly might be C260. Evansville buyers should specify the material based on the manufacturing process; for designed-from-scratch parts, asking the shop for a material recommendation at the RFQ stage often surfaces the most cost-effective choice.
C360 brass at 3% lead content exceeds the RoHS threshold of 0.1% lead by mass in a homogeneous material, which requires either an exemption or a material substitution. The relevant exemption under RoHS Annex III is Exemption 6(c), which covers lead as a copper alloy additive up to 4% by weight — this exemption has been repeatedly renewed and covers most automotive brass connector and terminal applications. However, the exemption does not apply to all product categories or all markets: ELV (End-of-Life Vehicle) Directive compliance is separate from RoHS, and specific OEM customer requirements may impose lower lead limits than the directive requires. For Evansville buyers supplying automotive customers, the safest practice is to confirm applicability of the exemption for the specific product category with your customer's materials team, and to have that confirmation documented in the supply chain. Lead-free brass alternatives like C46400 or C69300 exist but machine significantly more slowly and cost more — quantify the compliance risk before switching.
Yes, and brass is well-suited for precision bores and press-fit features because of its good dimensional stability after machining and its moderate yield strength, which allows press-fit interference without the risk of cracking that would occur in harder materials. Typical bore tolerances achievable in C360 brass on production runs are ±0.001" with standard tooling and ±0.0005" with careful finish-boring and in-process gauging. For press-fit bores — where the bore diameter must achieve a specific interference with a mating shaft or insert — tolerance control in the 0.0003"–0.0005" range is standard practice at Evansville shops with production machining capability. Brass's machinability makes it practical to take light finish-boring passes to dial in a specific diameter class (H7, H6, etc.) without the tool-deflection and work-hardening concerns that complicate the same operation in stainless or titanium. Buyers should specify both the nominal bore diameter and the tolerance class (ISO or bilateral tolerance) on the drawing rather than leaving it to interpretation.
Brass machined parts in the Evansville market generally have very accessible minimum order quantities because the material cost is moderate, cycle times are short (meaning setup cost amortizes quickly), and shops often stock C360 bar in common diameters as a raw-material investment. Most shops will quote single-piece prototypes on brass turned parts — setup cost is absorbed as a prototype-pricing premium — and shift to volume pricing at quantities of 50–100 pieces where setup amortization drops the per-piece cost meaningfully. For very high-volume programs (10,000+ pieces per year), multi-spindle or Swiss-style turning shops can often offer significant per-piece price reductions relative to single-spindle CNC turning, with the economics improving further as annual volumes increase. Stamped and formed brass parts from C260 have higher tooling investment ($2,000–$15,000 for progressive dies) but very low per-piece costs at volumes of 5,000 pieces and above — buyers should get both turned and stamped quotes at the design stage if their volumes might justify tooling investment.
Last updated: July 2026
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