🟡 BRASS
Brass Machining and Fabrication in Winston-Salem, NC: C360, C260, and Naval Brass
Few materials reward the Piedmont Triad's high-volume precision machining infrastructure as well as free-cutting brass — C360's machinability index of 100% makes it the benchmark against which all other metals are measured, and Winston-Salem CNC shops running multi-spindle and Swiss-type lathes on automotive and connector programs consume it in quantities that justify local service-center stocking of a full range of bar diameters. Beyond C360, the brass family covers a broad performance envelope: C260 cartridge brass handles deep-drawn formed components for medical and electronic enclosures, and Naval brass (C464) provides the dezincification resistance needed in seawater-adjacent and aggressive-fluid environments. Understanding which grade fits a given application — and which Winston-Salem suppliers have tooled up for it — is the first step for procurement teams building reliable brass supply chains in the Piedmont Triad.
ISO 9001ISO 13485AS9100
C360 (UNS C36000) is 61.5% copper, 35.5% zinc, and 3% lead — the lead content is what delivers its exceptional machinability. Lead particles in the microstructure act as built-in chip breakers, causing chips to fracture into small curls rather than forming the long stringy chips that characterize copper or lower-lead brass alloys. The result is a material that machines at the highest speeds of any common metal, produces chips that clear automatically on CNC lathes, and achieves surface finishes of Ra 32 µin. or better with sharp carbide tooling at 500–800 SFM spindle speeds. Winston-Salem's automotive and connector-component turning programs run C360 in this regime, producing fittings, valve bodies, connector pins, and insert bushings at cycle times that would be impossible in any copper or stainless grade.
C360 bar stock in diameters from 0.125 in. through 4.0 in. is stocked at Piedmont Triad metal service centers with same-day or next-day availability for standard sizes. The cold-drawn surface on C360 bar provides a consistent OD that requires minimal cleanup cuts before turning to finished diameter, reducing cycle time and material waste versus hot-rolled bar in other materials. For Swiss-type lathe programs running C360 in diameters from 0.125 in. through 1.25 in., coil stock and precision-ground bar in h8/h9 tolerance classes are available from specialty brass distributors with 2–5 day lead times to Winston-Salem — precision-ground diameter control is essential for Swiss screw-machine work where the guide bushing clearance determines part positional accuracy during machining.
Plating compatibility is excellent on C360: nickel plating, tin plating, chrome plating, and gold plating all adhere well to the brass substrate without adhesion promoters, making C360 the default choice for connector and contact components that will receive electrodeposited finishes after machining. The one limitation is dezincification — in certain high-humidity, high-temperature, or corrosive environments, zinc selectively leaches from the brass matrix, leaving a porous copper sponge that loses mechanical integrity. Applications in aggressive chemical or marine environments should specify Naval brass or aluminum bronze instead.
C260 Cartridge Brass: Deep Drawing and Sheet Metal Forming
C260 (UNS C26000) — 70% copper, 30% zinc — carries a different set of properties than free-cutting C360. Its 30% zinc content without lead gives it excellent cold-forming capability (elongation of 45–55% in the annealed condition) and the resistance to season cracking that makes it the traditional material for deep-drawn cartridge cases, hence the common name 'cartridge brass.' In Winston-Salem's industrial supply chain, C260 appears in deep-drawn enclosures for electronic and medical devices, formed tubes and cylinders, spring contacts, and stamped electrical terminals where the forming severity would crack higher-zinc or lead-bearing brass grades.
C260 sheet in gauges from 0.010 in. through 0.125 in. is available from brass sheet distributors in the Charlotte and Greensboro corridor. Forming C260 to draw ratios of 2.0–2.5:1 (blank diameter to punch diameter) is achievable in the fully annealed (OS070) temper without intermediate annealing, which makes it practical for Winston-Salem stamping shops to produce complex drawn shells in two to four progressive die stations. Deeper draws beyond 2.5:1 require inter-stage annealing — a furnace operation that adds 1–3 days to production lead time but enables draw ratios up to 4:1 on thin-gauge C260.
C260 is substantially harder to machine than C360 — its machinability index is approximately 30% vs. 100% for C360 — because the absence of lead means chips form continuously rather than fracturing. Winston-Salem shops machining C260 components use high-positive-rake sharp-edge carbide inserts with chip-breaker geometries, high cutting speeds (600–800 SFM is achievable without BUE on C260 vs. C360's 800–1,000 SFM practical limit), and continuous chip clearing to prevent chip packing in deep holes or slots. For components that require both deep drawing and subsequent machining — a drawn housing with a threaded port, for example — some designers switch to C360 and accept slightly inferior drawability to gain the machining cost savings downstream.
Naval Brass C464: Dezincification Resistance for Demanding Fluid Environments
Naval brass C464 (UNS C46400) adds 0.75–1.0% tin to a 60% copper, 39% zinc base, and this tin addition provides the dezincification resistance that standard C360 or C260 lacks. Dezincification — the selective leaching of zinc from the brass matrix in corrosive water, seawater, or acidic environments — causes brass plumbing fittings, valve bodies, and heat exchanger components to fail by losing structural integrity even though the external appearance may remain intact. Naval brass is the historical solution to this problem in marine hardware, shipboard piping, and salt-water-cooled equipment.
In Winston-Salem's industrial and defense manufacturing environment, Naval brass C464 appears in marine-application hardware for defense programs, fluid-handling components in chemical process equipment, and architectural applications where exterior brass hardware is exposed to weather and polluted atmospheres. Bar stock in C464 is available from specialty brass distributors with 3–7 day lead times from Southeast distribution hubs; it is not a commodity grade stocked at most general metal service centers in the Piedmont Triad.
Machinability of C464 falls between C260 and C360 at approximately 30–40% machinability index — the tin addition slightly improves chip breaking compared to standard 70/30 brass but does not approach free-cutting C360 levels. Winston-Salem shops quoting Naval brass work should budget cycle times 2–3× longer than equivalent C360 parts, and tooling life monitoring is important since C464's higher zinc content relative to aluminum bronze means it is softer and less abrasive, but the continuous chip formation still requires active chip management. For applications where dezincification resistance is required but machinability is critical, DZR (dezincification-resistant) brass grades with specific arsenic additions are an alternative worth evaluating — they offer C360-like machining behavior with improved dezincification resistance, though at a price premium of 15–25% over standard Naval brass bar.
Procurement and Quality Considerations for Brass in the Piedmont Triad
Brass procurement in Winston-Salem benefits from the region's access to multiple distribution channels: general metal service centers stock C360 bar in standard diameters; specialty brass and copper distributors in Charlotte (60 miles south) and Raleigh (90 miles east) carry C260 sheet, C464 bar, and specialty grades; and national distributors with Southeast distribution centers can deliver non-stock grades within 3–7 business days via LTL freight. The depth of regional inventory means procurement teams can usually avoid the 2–4 week lead times that specialized brass grades require when sourced from single-source primary distributors.
RoHS compliance is an active concern for brass components destined for electronic or medical device applications in the EU market. C360's 3% lead content technically exempts it from RoHS Annex II restrictions under current exemptions for machinable alloys (Exemption 6c covers lead in copper alloys up to 4%), but medical device OEMs and some electronics customers impose their own internal restrictions on lead-containing alloys regardless of the RoHS exemption status. Buyers sourcing brass parts for these customers should confirm internal material restriction requirements before specifying C360 — a lead-free alternative like C385 (architectural bronze) or silicon brass C69300 may satisfy both machinability and material restriction requirements, though at higher cost.
For brass parts on AS9100 aerospace programs, the same material traceability requirements that apply to steel and aluminum apply to brass — MTRs covering chemistry and mechanical properties per ASTM B16 (free-cutting brass rod) or B36 (brass plate and sheet) should accompany every production lot. Winston-Salem shops holding AS9100 certification have incoming material inspection procedures for brass lot verification and can provide the traceability package required by aerospace prime customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
The machinability index is a relative scale where C360 free-cutting brass is assigned 100% as the reference standard — meaning it is the most machinable alloy commonly machined in production environments. All other metals are rated relative to C360: 6061-T6 aluminum is approximately 300% (easier), 316L stainless is approximately 45% (much harder), and Ti-6Al-4V is approximately 22% (very difficult). For Winston-Salem buyers, 100% machinability means parts produced in C360 will have the shortest cycle times, lowest tooling costs, and best surface finishes of any metal option at comparable production volumes. A turned fitting that takes 45 seconds in C360 might take 90–100 seconds in 303 stainless and 3 minutes in 316L stainless. At 50,000 pieces per year, this difference represents thousands of machine hours and significant cost differential. C360's machinability is driven by its lead content — 3% lead creates chip-breaking particles that prevent continuous chip formation. For lead-free applications, the next best alternatives are silicon brass or C385, which achieve approximately 60–70% machinability index through different chip-breaking mechanisms.
Brass components produced in Winston-Salem can be finished at Piedmont Triad plating shops offering: electroless nickel plating (ENP) per ASTM B733 at 0.0002–0.001 in. thickness for wear resistance and corrosion protection on machined brass parts; electrolytic tin plating per ASTM B545 at 0.0001–0.0003 in. for solderability and corrosion protection on connector bodies and terminals; chromate conversion coating per ASTM B253 (hexavalent or trivalent) for corrosion protection on brass structural hardware; bright dip (acid dip) to remove tarnish and produce the bright yellow finish expected on decorative brass components; electropolishing for medical-grade brass components requiring Ra 16 µin. or better surface finish; and gold flash plating at 0.000002–0.00002 in. for low-contact-resistance connector pin applications. Barrel plating is available for small, high-volume parts (connector pins, small fittings under 2 in. length) from production plating lines in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem corridor. Rack plating is used for larger or more complex parts where barrel tumbling would damage features or dimensions. Lead times for standard plating run 3–7 business days; expedited service in 24–48 hours is available at a premium.
Dezincification is a corrosion mechanism specific to brass alloys where zinc selectively leaches out of the copper-zinc matrix, leaving behind a porous, structurally weak copper sponge. The external appearance of dezincified brass may look intact while the interior is essentially crumbling. The corrosion is driven by chloride ions, acidic water, and elevated temperatures — conditions common in marine environments, hot-water plumbing, seawater-cooled equipment, and certain chemical process streams. C360 free-cutting brass is particularly susceptible to dezincification due to its 35.5% zinc content and the presence of lead, which can accelerate the mechanism. Winston-Salem buyers should specify Naval brass C464 instead of C360 in any of these conditions: components in direct contact with seawater or salt spray; hot-water plumbing fittings exposed to water above 140°F; chemical process components handling acidic or chloride-containing solutions; and marine-application defense hardware per MIL specifications that call out dezincification resistance. For applications in municipal water supply or commercial plumbing, the local building code may mandate dezincification-resistant (DZR) brass or specific brass grades per NSF/ANSI 61 — Winston-Salem builders and procurement teams should verify applicable code requirements before specifying brass valve bodies or fitting materials.
Yes, progressive die stamping and deep drawing of C260 cartridge brass sheet is available from Piedmont Triad sheet metal fabricators and stamping shops with die-making capability in the Winston-Salem and Greensboro area. C260 in the annealed condition is well-suited for deep drawing — its 45–55% elongation and consistent work-hardening rate produce consistent drawn shapes without the splitting or wrinkling that plague lower-quality or incorrectly tempered sheet stock. For ISO 13485 medical device applications, drawn C260 enclosures must be produced under a quality system that maintains material traceability (mill cert to finished part lot), documents tooling condition and maintenance, and performs dimensional inspection per the device engineering drawing. Shops holding ISO 13485 certification in the Piedmont Triad can produce drawn brass medical device enclosures with the full quality documentation package required for FDA-regulated device supply chains. Tooling lead time for a new progressive die is typically 6–10 weeks depending on die complexity, so buyers should plan development timelines accordingly — prototype quantities can be produced by single-station hand-die or hydroforming before production tooling is ready, allowing device development to proceed in parallel with tooling fabrication.
Raw material cost comparison as of current Piedmont Triad market pricing: C360 brass bar runs approximately 2–3× the cost per pound of 6061-T6 aluminum bar and 1.5–2.5× the cost per pound of 303 stainless bar, but brass's higher density (0.307 lb/in³ vs. aluminum's 0.098 lb/in³) means you buy significantly more weight to produce the same-volume part. On a per-part cost basis, however, brass frequently wins over stainless because of its superior machinability — a C360 part machined in 30 seconds versus a 303 stainless part machined in 75 seconds shifts the per-part economics in brass's favor even accounting for the higher raw material cost per pound. Compared to aluminum, brass is more expensive both in raw material and machining cost (longer cycle times than 6061-T6), so aluminum wins on cost unless the application requires brass's corrosion resistance, conductivity, or specific material properties. For corrosion-resistant applications, brass versus 316L stainless is a common evaluation: brass wins on machining cost, stainless wins on corrosion resistance in aggressive media. The switchover point depends on the specific chemical environment — for water, mild acids, and atmospheric exposure, brass is competitive; for chloride environments and aggressive chemicals, 316L is typically the correct call despite higher machining costs.
Last updated: July 2026
Find Brass Manufacturers in Winston-Salem, NC
Search verified Winston-Salem shops that work in Brass.
No logins. No email gates. Just results.