Low Lead Brass – Free Brass

Due to the maximum lead content of 0.2%, low lead alloys are fully compliant with the California Health and Safety Code (1953) and with Vermont Act 193 concerning lead in potable water systems but also based on Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS), DM 174 del 06/04/2004, DIN 50930-6 Norm. Brand name for CW510L alloy is Free Brass ™ 1 and for CW511L is Free Brass ™ 2. These alloys, which are suitable for direct contact drinking water applications, are certified under NSF / ANSI 372 standard and are available across the standard round, hexagonal and square bars size range and are suitable for hot forging or machining.

Halcor can produce Low Lead Brass- Free Brass^TM solid, hollow rods and seamless tubes.

Properties

Free Brass™ 1 is suitable for machining and hot forging applications, exhibiting better machinability than Free Brass ™ 2, which is mainly suitable for forging stock and also exhibits better dezincification resistance due to the addition of As.

The characteristics of Free Brass ™ alloys are similar to those of lead-based alloys, which allow machining with slight modifications to the tools and the feed rate . Also, the returns of processing (swarf, chippings) can be recycled even if mixed with traditional lead-based alloys. It is also suitable for products destined for the  gas industry, since these alloys exhibit minimal risk of sparking.

Applications

Low lead brass is suitable for drinking water applications (faucets, valves, fittings, etc), for usage in high temperature conditions, for manufacturing of forged and casting parts and  for gas fittings.

Material Designation