Brass Machining & Screw-Machine Parts in Raleigh, NC

C360 free-cutting brass carries a machinability rating of 100, and that number is not arbitrary, it is the benchmark against which the machinability of every other metal is measured. The reason is its lead content, which forms tiny dispersed particles that break chips cleanly and lubricate the cut, so the material shears into small, manageable chips rather than the stringy, gummy chips that plague pure copper or the tough chips of stainless. The practical result on a screw machine or CNC lathe is very high feeds and speeds, excellent surface finish straight off the tool, long tool life, and predictable, repeatable production. For Raleigh shops running high volumes of fittings, fasteners, valve components, and connectors, this means low cycle times and low cost per piece, which is exactly why brass is the default for high-volume turned parts. The one caveat is that the same lead making it machine so well also makes it less ductile, so C360 is for turning and machining, not for forming or deep drawing, where C260 is the better choice.

Lead content matters most when a brass part contacts drinking water. C360 and many traditional brass alloys contain lead, which is what gives them their excellent free-machining behavior, but potable-water applications are regulated for lead content, and using a leaded brass on a drinking-water fitting can violate those requirements. This has driven the development and adoption of low-lead and lead-free brass alternatives specifically for potable-water service. So the rule for Raleigh buyers is straightforward: if the part will contact drinking water, confirm the alloy and its regulatory compliance before committing, and expect to use a lead-free grade that machines somewhat differently and may cost more. For the large majority of Triangle applications that do not touch potable water, such as instrumentation, electronics, industrial fluid handling, pneumatics, and general hardware, standard leaded C360 remains the efficient and appropriate choice. The key is to flag potable-water contact at the design and quoting stage so the correct alloy is selected from the start rather than discovered during a compliance review later.

The difference is machining versus forming, and it is the most important brass selection question. C360 free-cutting brass contains lead that makes it the easiest metal to machine, with a benchmark machinability rating of 100, so it is the right choice for turned and screw-machine parts like fittings, fasteners, valve components, and connectors produced in volume. That same lead, however, reduces ductility, so C360 does not form, bend, or draw well. C260 cartridge brass is the opposite trade-off: roughly 70% copper and 30% zinc with no significant lead, it is highly ductile and formable, making it ideal for deep-drawn, stamped, and bent parts such as enclosures, terminals, electrical contacts, and formed hardware. C260 can be machined but nowhere near C360's speed, so you would not choose it for high-volume turning. The practical decision for a Raleigh part is the manufacturing method: if it is turned or machined, specify C360, and if it is formed, drawn, or stamped, specify C260. Choosing the wrong one forces the shop to fight the material's natural behavior.

Naval brass should be specified when the part faces corrosive conditions that would degrade ordinary brass, particularly seawater, marine atmospheres, and environments that promote dezincification. Standard brasses like C360 and C260 can suffer dezincification, a corrosion process where zinc leaches out of the alloy and leaves behind weak, porous copper, especially in certain water chemistries. Naval brass adds a small amount of tin that markedly improves resistance to dezincification and seawater corrosion, which is why it is the choice for fluid-handling components, marine-adjacent hardware, and energy-related parts exposed to aggressive water or salt environments around the Triangle. It retains good machinability and strength, so you do not give up much manufacturability to gain the corrosion protection. The decision is environment-driven: for dry indoor instrumentation, electronics, and general industrial use, standard brass is fine and more economical, but for anything seeing seawater, brine, salt spray, or water chemistry that risks dezincification, naval brass earns its modest premium by preventing a corrosion failure that would otherwise weaken or destroy the part in service.