Material data
Density and hardness of copper alloys: brass, bronze, copper-nickel and beryllium copper
Aluminium bronze C95400 (UNS C95400, cast Cu-Al-Fe) has a density of 7.45 g/cm³ at 20 °C per the Wieland Concast datasheet, the lowest of the 17 copper-alloy grades in our data with a density record, and oxygen-free copper C10200 (UNS C10200) has 8.9 g/cm³ per the Aurubis datasheet. Across the copper-alloy profiles at Space Mushroom, brass grades range from 8.44 to 8.86 g/cm³, bronze grades from 7.45 to 8.86 g/cm³, cupronickel 70/30 (UNS C71500) is 8.94 g/cm³ per Wieland, and beryllium copper C17200 (UNS C17200) is 8.36 g/cm³ age hardened per Materion. Hardness cannot be ranked across the whole family: only 7 of 19 grades have a hardness record, on 4 scales that cannot be converted, and aluminium bronze C63000 (UNS C63000) holds the highest Vickers and Brinell values.
- Density
- mass per volume. 1 g/cm³ is 1 kg per litre, or 1000 kg/m³.
- HV, HB, HRB, HRF
- hardness scales: Vickers, Brinell, Rockwell B and Rockwell F. They use different tests and cannot be converted with a formula we can cite.
- Temper
- the hardness state after rolling, drawing or heat treatment, coded as O60, H02 (half hard), H04 (hard) and so on.
- UNS C-number
- the catalogue number of a copper alloy, such as C36000. EN names such as CW614N are the European ones.
- Branch
- our grouping of the grades into five sub-families, by the alloy name and formula in each profile.
How do density and hardness compare across the copper alloy family?
Density runs from 7.45 g/cm³ (aluminium bronze C95400) to 8.96 g/cm³ (copper) across 17 grades, while hardness is recorded for only 7 of 19 grades and on separate scales, so the scatter has one panel per scale. Pick a branch to read its range; hover or focus a point or leaf for the grade card with every record and source. The full text equivalent is the table of every grade further down.
All copper alloys
Density: 7.45 to 8.96 g/cm³ across 17 of 19 grades.
Hardness: 7 of 19 grades have a hardness record, on 4 different scales. They cannot be put on one axis.
Coppers and high-copper alloys
copper itself and alloys with only small additions
Density: 8.75 to 8.96 g/cm³ across 3 of 5 grades. No density for Silver-bearing copper C10700, Tinned copper.
Hardness: 76 to 81 HB (1 grade); 90 HRF (1 grade). No hardness for Copper C10200, CuCrZr C18150, Tinned copper.
Brasses
copper with zinc, with or without lead
Density: 8.44 to 8.86 g/cm³ across 4 of 4 grades.
Hardness: 100 to 160 HV (1 grade); 60 to 80 HRB (1 grade). No hardness for Gilding metal C21000, Cartridge brass C26000.
Bronzes
copper with tin, aluminium or silicon
Density: 7.45 to 8.86 g/cm³ across 5 of 5 grades.
Hardness: 170 to 220 HV (1 grade); 150 to 248 HB (2 grades). No hardness for Phosphor bronze C51000, Phosphor bronze C52100, Silicon bronze C65500.
Cupronickels
copper with nickel (30 to 45 %)
Density: 8.9 to 8.94 g/cm³ across 2 of 2 grades.
Hardness: no hardness value in our records for any grade in this branch.
Other copper alloys
beryllium copper, nickel silver and manganin
Density: 8.36 to 8.75 g/cm³ across 3 of 3 grades.
Hardness: 90 to 210 HV (1 grade). No hardness for Beryllium copper C17200, Manganin.
Nickel silver is three bars because its source gives soft, half-hard and hard tempers; the other two grades give one record each, with the temper not stated for aluminium bronze.
Brinell numbers depend on the test load. Where a record states it, the load is 3000 kg for the Bunting C95400 bar and 500 kg for tellurium copper; the other Brinell records do not state one. Do not read small gaps between these grades as real.
Has a HRF value but no density, so it cannot be placed: Silver-bearing copper C10700 (90 HRF).
Hover or focus a point, a bar or a leaf to see its grade card here.
- Density
- 8.9 g/cm³ Oxygen-free copper C10200; Aurubis
- 8.96 g/cm³ Element (PAC Chemical Database); PubChem
- Hardness
- None. No hardness record and no note about one in the profile.
- Thermal conductivity
- 391 to 547 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 58 MS/m
- Density
- 8.94 g/cm³ Tellurium copper C14500; Wieland Concast
- Hardness
- 76 BHN Typical, H02 half hard; Wieland Concast; load 500 kg
- 81 BHN Typical, H04 hard; Wieland Concast; load 500 kg
- Thermal conductivity
- 355 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 93 %IACS; 0.539 MS/cm
- Density
- None: no density record in the profile.
- Hardness
- 90 HRF Maximum initial hardness, hard-drawn C10700 for LHC vacuum chambers; CERN (Sgobba)
- Thermal conductivity
- None in the profile.
- Electrical conductivity
- 58 MS/m; 100 %IACS
- Density
- 8.94 g/cm³ CuCrZr (wrought, Aurubis)
- 8.92 g/cm³ CuCrZr (Wieland K60)
- 8.75 g/cm³ Desktop Metal heat-treated part
- 8.91 g/cm³ CuCr1Zr (thyssenkrupp reference data)
- Hardness
- None. The sources print Vickers, Brinell and Rockwell B values on different scales, but the profile does not enter them (no matching name in the property list).
- Thermal conductivity
- 310 to 330 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 43 to 50 MS/m; 80 to 87 %IACS
- Density
- None: its density records are for tin, silver and the copper core, not for the coated product.
- Hardness
- None. No hardness record and no note about one in the profile.
- Thermal conductivity
- None in the profile: its conductivity records are for tin, silver and the copper core, not for the coated product.
- Electrical conductivity
- None in the profile: its conductivity records are for tin, silver and the copper core, not for the coated product.
- Density
- 8.86 g/cm³ C21000 (Wieland)
- 8.8 g/cm³ C22000 CuZn10 (Aurubis)
- Hardness
- None. The supplier prints hardness only in brackets after the temper code, so no value is recorded.
- Thermal conductivity
- 189 to 234 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 44 to 56 %IACS
- Density
- 8.53 g/cm³ C26000 (Aviva)
- Hardness
- None. The source table prints Rockwell B values for two tempers, but the profile does not enter them (no matching name in the property list).
- Thermal conductivity
- 121.2 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 28 %IACS
- Density
- 8.5 g/cm³ C36000 (Fisk MA36B)
- Hardness
- 60 to 80 HRB Half-hard H02 bar, 12.7 mm and under (range); Aviva Metals
- Thermal conductivity
- 116 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 26 %IACS
- Density
- 8.46 g/cm³ CW614N (HME Brass France)
- 8.47 g/cm³ UNS C38500 (CDA typical, via Brassland)
- 8.44 g/cm³ CW617N (Alumeco datasheet)
- Hardness
- 100 to 160 HV Typical range across tempers (CW614N); Aalco
- Thermal conductivity
- 123 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 25 to 28 %IACS
- Density
- 8.86 g/cm³ Phosphor bronze C51000; Sullins
- Hardness
- None. The sources print a typical Rockwell B value for the hard temper, but the profile does not enter it (no matching name in the property list).
- Thermal conductivity
- 84 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 15 %IACS
- Density
- 8.79 g/cm³ Phosphor bronze C52100; Aurubis
- Hardness
- None. A source prints a typical Rockwell B value for the hard temper, but the profile does not enter it (no matching name in the property list).
- Thermal conductivity
- 67 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 13 %IACS
- Density
- 8.53 g/cm³ Silicon bronze C65500; Austral Wright Metals
- Hardness
- None. The source table prints Rockwell B, Rockwell F and Vickers values, but the extracted columns do not show which value belongs to which, so none are entered.
- Thermal conductivity
- 36.3 W/(m.K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 7 %IACS
- Density
- 7.58 g/cm³ C63000 (Aalco, CW307G)
- Hardness
- 201 to 248 HB Bar up to 50.8 mm (Smith Metal)
- 170 to 220 HV CW307G (Aalco, range)
- Thermal conductivity
- 37.7 to 63 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 7 to 10 %IACS
- Density
- 7.45 g/cm³ C95400 (Concast); Wieland Concast
- Hardness
- 150 BHN Sand casting to ASTM B148 (minimum); iCast Alloys
- 170 BHN Continuous cast solid bar, as cast (3000 kg load); Bunting Bearings; load 3000 kg
- 195 BHN Continuous cast solid bar, heat treated (3000 kg load); Bunting Bearings; load 3000 kg
- Thermal conductivity
- 58.7 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 13 %IACS
- Density
- 8.94 g/cm³ C71500 as printed on the maker's page; Wieland
- Hardness
- None. No source read gave a hardness value for this grade.
- Thermal conductivity
- 29 to 33 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- None in the profile.
- Density
- 8.9 g/cm³ CuNi44Mn1 strip; Lamineries Matthey
- 8.9 g/cm³ Annealed wire 0.15 mm; Goodfellow
- Hardness
- None. Two sources print Brinell and Vickers ranges, but the profile does not enter them (no matching name in the property list).
- Thermal conductivity
- 19.5 to 21.2 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- None in the profile.
- Density
- 8.36 g/cm³ C17200 age-hardened; Materion
- Hardness
- None. The datasheets read do not print a hardness, and the Rockwell figures on Wikipedia are not from a datasheet, so none are entered.
- Thermal conductivity
- 105 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 25 to 30 %IACS
- Density
- 8.7 g/cm³ CuNi18Zn20 (Matthey); Lamineries Matthey
- 8.75 g/cm³ C752 (Fisk); 0.316 lb/in3 as printed, converted by us
- Hardness
- 90 to 125 HV Soft annealed H90 strip; Lamineries Matthey
- 120 to 155 HV Half-hard H120 strip; Lamineries Matthey
- 185 to 210 HV Hard H185 strip; Lamineries Matthey
- Thermal conductivity
- 32 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- 6 %IACS
- Density
- 8.4 g/cm³ MANGANIN; Isabellenhütte
- 8.4 g/cm³ Manganin wire; Goodfellow
- Hardness
- None. No hardness value that matches a name in the property list was read, so none is entered.
- Thermal conductivity
- 22 W/(m·K)
- Electrical conductivity
- None in the profile.
What are the density and hardness ranges of each copper-alloy family?
Brass grades range from 8.44 to 8.86 g/cm³, bronze grades from 7.45 to 8.86 g/cm³, cupronickel grades from 8.9 to 8.94 g/cm³, other copper alloys from 8.36 to 8.75 g/cm³ and coppers and high-copper alloys from 8.75 to 8.96 g/cm³. The table gives the same ranges with hardness by scale; "missing" counts grades with no value in any source we hold.
| Branch | Grades | Density, g/cm³ | Hardness records (scale as printed: HV, HB, HRB, HRF) | Missing density | Missing hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coppers and high-copper alloys | 5 | 8.75 to 8.96 | 76 to 81 HB (Tellurium copper C14500) 90 HRF (Silver-bearing copper C10700) | Silver-bearing copper C10700, Tinned copper | 3 of 5: Copper C10200, CuCrZr C18150, Tinned copper |
| Brasses | 4 | 8.44 to 8.86 | 100 to 160 HV (Leaded brass C38500) 60 to 80 HRB (Free-cutting brass C36000) | none | 2 of 4: Gilding metal C21000, Cartridge brass C26000 |
| Bronzes | 5 | 7.45 to 8.86 | 170 to 220 HV (Aluminium bronze C63000) 150 to 248 HB (Aluminium bronze C63000, Aluminium bronze C95400) | none | 3 of 5: Phosphor bronze C51000, Phosphor bronze C52100, Silicon bronze C65500 |
| Cupronickels | 2 | 8.9 to 8.94 | none | none | 2 of 2: Cupronickel 70/30 C71500, Constantan |
| Other copper alloys | 3 | 8.36 to 8.75 | 90 to 210 HV (Nickel silver C75200) | none | 2 of 3: Beryllium copper C17200, Manganin |
How much do copper alloys weigh, and which hardness scale should you ask for?
A litre of solid copper alloy weighs between 7.45 kg (aluminium bronze C95400, per Wieland Concast) and 8.96 kg (the copper element, per PubChem), because 1 g/cm³ equals 1 kg per litre. For hardness, name the scale (Vickers, Brinell, Rockwell B or Rockwell F) and the temper, because the same alloy changes with temper and the scales cannot be converted with a formula we can cite.
Weight: a litre of solid metal
Because 1 g/cm³ is 1 kg per litre, the density figures read as the weight of a litre of solid metal. For the same shape and size:
- Copper C10200: 8.9 kg per litre (Aurubis datasheet).
- Phosphor bronze C52100: 8.79 kg per litre (Aurubis, 20 °C).
- Cartridge brass C26000: 8.53 kg per litre (Aviva Metals, 20 °C). Free-cutting brass C36000: 8.5 kg per litre (Fisk Alloy).
- Beryllium copper C17200: 8.36 kg per litre, age hardened (Materion).
- Aluminium bronze C95400: 7.45 kg per litre (Wieland Concast, 20 °C).
Swapping free-cutting brass C36000 for aluminium bronze C95400 in the same shape takes 12 % off the weight; swapping it for cupronickel 70/30 adds 5 %. Outside the aluminium bronzes the whole family spans only 7 %, so density rarely decides between a brass and a bronze. Strength, corrosion and machinability usually do: see brass vs bronze vs copper.
Hardness: ask for the scale and the temper
A hardness number means nothing without its scale. Our records use Vickers (HV), Brinell (HB or BHN), Rockwell B and Rockwell F, and the same alloy changes a lot with temper: the hard-temper nickel silver in our data starts at 185 HV, above the 125 HV where its soft temper ends. So compare grades only on one scale, at one temper, from one kind of source.
General engineering knowledge, not in our data: Brinell is the usual scale for castings and softer stock, Rockwell B for rod and bar, and Vickers for strip and thin sections. Brinell results also depend on the test load, so a load should be named. For a drawing, copy the scale, the temper and the product form from the supplier's certificate.
Why do copper alloys differ in density and hardness?
Copper alloys differ in density because the alloying element is lighter or heavier than copper (8.96 g/cm³ for the element, per PubChem): zinc, tin, aluminium, silicon, beryllium and manganese lower it, nickel leaves it unchanged and lead raises it. Hardness differs mainly with temper, and the 7 grades with a hardness record are too few to show a family-by-family cause.
Does the alloying element set the density?
Most of the alloying elements are lighter than copper (nickel is about the same, lead is heavier), and the alloys with more of a light element are lighter. The bars show the element's own density on the same scale; the dashed line is copper at 8.96 g/cm³. This is a pattern in the records, not a mixing calculation: the profiles give composition ranges, not exact heats.
- Zinc Zn, 7.133 g/cm³
- gilding metal CuZn5 (C21000): 8.86 g/cm³
- CuZn10 (C22000): 8.8 g/cm³
- cartridge brass CuZn30: 8.53 g/cm³
- free-cutting CuZn36Pb3: 8.5 g/cm³
- leaded CuZn39Pb3: 8.44 to 8.47 g/cm³
The figure after Zn in each name is the zinc content. As it rises from 5 to 39 the density falls from 8.86 to 8.44 to 8.47 g/cm³. Zinc is lighter than copper.
- Tin Sn, 7.265 g/cm³
- phosphor bronze C51000, tin 4.2 to 5.8 %: 8.86 g/cm³
- phosphor bronze C52100, tin 7 to 9 %: 8.79 g/cm³
Against 8.9 for C10200 copper, more tin gives a slightly lower density. Tin is lighter than copper.
- Aluminium Al, 2.698 g/cm³
- aluminium bronze C63000, aluminium 9 to 11 %: 7.58 g/cm³
- aluminium bronze C95400, aluminium 10 to 11.5 %: 7.45 g/cm³
Aluminium is far lighter than copper, and about a tenth of the alloy is aluminium: these are the two lightest copper alloys we hold.
- Silicon Si, 2.328 g/cm³
- silicon bronze C65500, silicon 2.8 to 3.8 %: 8.53 g/cm³
A few percent of a very light element takes about 0.4 g/cm³ off C10200 copper.
- Beryllium Be, 1.85 g/cm³
- beryllium copper C17200, beryllium 1.8 to 2 %: 8.36 g/cm³
About 2 % of the lightest element in the set; the density is after age hardening.
- Manganese Mn, 7.21 g/cm³
- manganin, 12 % manganese and 2 % nickel: 8.4 g/cm³
Manganese is lighter than copper.
- Nickel Ni, 8.908 g/cm³
- cupronickel C71500, nickel 29 to 33 %: 8.94 g/cm³
- constantan, about 45 % nickel: 8.9 g/cm³
Nickel is about as dense as copper, so the cupronickels stay at the density of copper.
- Lead Pb, 11.34 g/cm³
- leaded brass, lead 2.5 to 3.5 %: 8.44 to 8.47 g/cm³
Lead is denser than copper. The leaded brasses carry both zinc and lead, so these records cannot split the two effects.
What does the hardness data show, and what can it not show?
Hardness is recorded for only 7 of 19 copper-alloy grades, on 4 scales, so a family-by-family cause cannot be shown. The records do support three points about temper and processing, listed first with their values and source names, and they do not support four common claims, listed after.
- Temper moves hardness as much as family does. Nickel silver (CuNi18Zn20) is 90 to 125 HV soft, 120 to 155 HV half hard and 185 to 210 HV hard, one alloy and one supplier. Leaded brass CW614N spans 100 to 160 HV across its tempers.
- The processing route matters in castings. Bunting's C95400 bar is 170 BHN as cast and 195 BHN heat treated; the casting-vendor sheet gives 150 HB as a minimum for sand castings. Tellurium copper moves only from 76 to 81 BHN between half hard and hard, on a lighter 500 kg load.
- On Vickers, aluminium bronze is above the brass. C63000 (CW307G) is 170 to 220 HV with the temper not stated; leaded brass is 100 to 160 HV. Hard-temper nickel silver (185 to 210 HV) lands inside the aluminium bronze range.
Claims we cannot make from this data, so the page does not make them:
- That tin makes bronze harder. Neither phosphor bronze profile (C51000 and C52100) holds a hardness value; both profiles say a typical Rockwell B figure is printed in a source but not entered.
- That zinc makes brass harder. The brasses with a hardness value are the two leaded grades only; cartridge brass and gilding metal have none entered, so there is no zinc series to read.
- That beryllium copper is the hardest. Its profile enters no hardness value: the datasheets read do not print one.
- That an alloy is harder than pure copper. Copper has no hardness record. The only high-copper values are tellurium copper (Brinell) and a maximum initial hardness of 90 HRF for hard-drawn silver-bearing copper, which has no density to plot.
What are the density, hardness and conductivity records for every grade?
Each of the 19 grades has the records listed below, one line per source value: density in g/cm³, hardness in the scale printed by the source, and thermal and electrical conductivity for context. Grades with nothing to list say "not found in any source we hold". This table is the text equivalent of both charts above.
| Grade | Density, g/cm³ | Hardness | Thermal conductivity | Electrical conductivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coppers and high-copper alloys | ||||
| Copper C10200 | 8.9 Aurubis 8.96 PubChem | not found in any source we hold | 391 to 547 W/(m·K) | 58 MS/m |
| Tellurium copper C14500 | 8.94 Wieland Concast | 76 BHN Typical, H02 half hard 81 BHN Typical, H04 hard | 355 W/(m·K) | 93 %IACS 0.539 MS/cm |
| Silver-bearing copper C10700 | not found in any source we hold | 90 HRF Maximum initial hardness, hard-drawn C10700 for LHC vacuum chambers | none | 58 MS/m 100 %IACS |
| CuCrZr C18150 | 8.94 Aurubis 8.92 Wieland 8.75 Desktop Metal 8.91 thyssenkrupp | not found in any source we hold | 310 to 330 W/(m·K) | 43 to 50 MS/m 80 to 87 %IACS |
| Tinned copper | not found in any source we hold: its density records are for tin, silver and the copper core, not for the coated product | not found in any source we hold | none | none |
| Brasses | ||||
| Gilding metal C21000 | 8.86 Wieland 8.8 Aurubis | not found in any source we hold | 189 to 234 W/(m·K) | 44 to 56 %IACS |
| Cartridge brass C26000 | 8.53 Aviva Metals | not found in any source we hold | 121.2 W/(m·K) | 28 %IACS |
| Free-cutting brass C36000 | 8.5 Fisk Alloy | 60 to 80 HRB Half-hard H02 bar, 12.7 mm and under (range) | 116 W/(m·K) | 26 %IACS |
| Leaded brass C38500 | 8.46 HME Brass France 8.47 Brassland 8.44 Alumeco | 100 to 160 HV Typical range across tempers (CW614N) | 123 W/(m·K) | 25 to 28 %IACS |
| Bronzes | ||||
| Phosphor bronze C51000 | 8.86 Sullins | not found in any source we hold | 84 W/(m·K) | 15 %IACS |
| Phosphor bronze C52100 | 8.79 Aurubis | not found in any source we hold | 67 W/(m·K) | 13 %IACS |
| Silicon bronze C65500 | 8.53 Austral Wright Metals | not found in any source we hold | 36.3 W/(m.K) | 7 %IACS |
| Aluminium bronze C63000 | 7.58 Aalco | 201 to 248 HB Bar up to 50.8 mm (Smith Metal) 170 to 220 HV CW307G (Aalco, range) | 37.7 to 63 W/(m·K) | 7 to 10 %IACS |
| Aluminium bronze C95400 | 7.45 Wieland Concast | 150 BHN Sand casting to ASTM B148 (minimum) 170 BHN Continuous cast solid bar, as cast (3000 kg load) 195 BHN Continuous cast solid bar, heat treated (3000 kg load) | 58.7 W/(m·K) | 13 %IACS |
| Cupronickels | ||||
| Cupronickel 70/30 C71500 | 8.94 Wieland | not found in any source we hold | 29 to 33 W/(m·K) | none |
| Constantan | 8.9 Lamineries Matthey 8.9 Goodfellow | not found in any source we hold | 19.5 to 21.2 W/(m·K) | none |
| Other copper alloys | ||||
| Beryllium copper C17200 | 8.36 Materion | not found in any source we hold | 105 W/(m·K) | 25 to 30 %IACS |
| Nickel silver C75200 | 8.7 Lamineries Matthey 8.75 Fisk Alloy (converted from lb/in³) | 90 to 125 HV Soft annealed H90 strip 120 to 155 HV Half-hard H120 strip 185 to 210 HV Hard H185 strip | 32 W/(m·K) | 6 %IACS |
| Manganin | 8.4 Isabellenhütte 8.4 Goodfellow | not found in any source we hold | 22 W/(m·K) | none |
Each line is one record from the profile, named by its source. Where sources differ, both are shown and the plots use the full spread. Conductivity is shown for context only: it is in different units across grades and is not part of the plots.
What data are missing, and how should the numbers be read?
Two of the 19 copper-alloy grades have no density record (Silver-bearing copper C10700 and Tinned copper), and 12 of 19 have no hardness record. Hardness values are on four separate scales, some are minimums and some typical values, and the temper is often not stated, so the numbers are screening values and not specifications.
Grades without a density
- Silver-bearing copper C10700: no density record in the profile. It has a hardness value, so it is listed but cannot be plotted.
- Tinned copper: its density records are for tin, silver and the copper core, not for the coated product.
Grades without a hardness value (12 of 19)
| Grade | What the profile says |
|---|---|
| Copper C10200 | No hardness record and no note about one in the profile. |
| CuCrZr C18150 | The sources print Vickers, Brinell and Rockwell B values on different scales, but the profile does not enter them (no matching name in the property list). |
| Tinned copper | No hardness record and no note about one in the profile. |
| Gilding metal C21000 | The supplier prints hardness only in brackets after the temper code, so no value is recorded. |
| Cartridge brass C26000 | The source table prints Rockwell B values for two tempers, but the profile does not enter them (no matching name in the property list). |
| Phosphor bronze C51000 | The sources print a typical Rockwell B value for the hard temper, but the profile does not enter it (no matching name in the property list). |
| Phosphor bronze C52100 | A source prints a typical Rockwell B value for the hard temper, but the profile does not enter it (no matching name in the property list). |
| Silicon bronze C65500 | The source table prints Rockwell B, Rockwell F and Vickers values, but the extracted columns do not show which value belongs to which, so none are entered. |
| Cupronickel 70/30 C71500 | No source read gave a hardness value for this grade. |
| Constantan | Two sources print Brinell and Vickers ranges, but the profile does not enter them (no matching name in the property list). |
| Beryllium copper C17200 | The datasheets read do not print a hardness, and the Rockwell figures on Wikipedia are not from a datasheet, so none are entered. |
| Manganin | No hardness value that matches a name in the property list was read, so none is entered. |
How to read the numbers
- Hardness scales are separate. Vickers, Brinell and the two Rockwell scales are plotted in their own panels. We do not convert between them, because we hold no sourced conversion.
- Records are not like-for-like. Some hardness values are minimums, some are typical, and some are ranges across tempers; each is named on the grade card. The Brinell loads differ (500 kg and 3000 kg where stated, otherwise not stated).
- Density is mostly one printed value per alloy. Temper is usually not stated. Beryllium copper is the density after age hardening; the same table notes 8.3 g/cm³ before heat treatment. The CuCrZr spread includes a heat-treated part from a 3D-printing system (8.75 g/cm³), not only wrought bar.
- One unit conversion. Nickel silver C752 is printed as 0.316 lb/in³ in one source; we converted it to 8.75 g/cm³ (1 lb/in³ is 27.68 g/cm³). The other source prints 8.7 g/cm³ directly.
- The branches are our grouping. Constantan and manganin are copper-based resistance alloys that carry copper-alloy profiles; Monel 400 and K-500 are nickel-copper alloys in the nickel alloys collection and are not included here.
- Many common alloys have no profile yet, for example naval brass, red brass, gunmetal and manganese bronze, and no tin bronze has a hardness value. This page covers the 19 grades we hold, not every copper alloy.
Questions people ask
What is the density of copper?
Oxygen-free copper C10200 (UNS C10200) has a density of 8.9 g/cm³ (8900 kg/m³) per the Aurubis datasheet, and the copper element has 8.96 g/cm³ at 25 °C per PubChem. Tellurium copper C14500 is 8.94 g/cm³ at 20 °C per Wieland Concast, and copper-chromium-zirconium (CuCrZr, UNS C18150) is 8.75 to 8.94 g/cm³ across four sources.
What is the density of brass?
The four brass grades in our data have densities from 8.44 to 8.86 g/cm³. Free-cutting brass C36000 (UNS C36000, CuZn36Pb3) is 8.5 g/cm³ per Fisk Alloy, and cartridge brass C26000 (CuZn30) is 8.53 g/cm³ at 20 °C per Aviva Metals. Leaded brass CW614N (UNS C38500) is 8.44 to 8.47 g/cm³ across three sources, and gilding metal (CuZn5 and CuZn10) is 8.8 to 8.86 g/cm³.
What is the density of bronze?
The five bronze grades in our data have densities from 7.45 to 8.86 g/cm³, so there is no single value. Aluminium bronze C95400 (UNS C95400) is 7.45 g/cm³ per Wieland Concast and aluminium bronze C63000 (UNS C63000) is 7.58 g/cm³ per Aalco. Silicon bronze C65500 is 8.53 g/cm³, phosphor bronze C52100 is 8.79 g/cm³ and phosphor bronze C51000 is 8.86 g/cm³.
Is brass harder than bronze?
Our data cannot rank brass against bronze as families, because hardness is recorded on different scales for only 7 of 19 grades and no tin or silicon bronze has a hardness record. On Vickers, aluminium bronze C63000 is 170 to 220 HV per Aalco, above leaded brass CW614N at 100 to 160 HV across tempers per Aalco. Hard-temper nickel silver is 185 to 210 HV, so temper overlaps the families.
Which copper alloy is the hardest?
Aluminium bronze C63000 (UNS C63000) has the highest top values in our records on both scales: 220 HV on Vickers per Aalco and 248 HB on Brinell for bar up to 50.8 mm per Smith Metal Centres. That ranks only the values we hold. Beryllium copper C17200 is often described as a hard copper alloy (general engineering knowledge, not in our data), but its profile enters no hardness value, so we cannot place it.
What is the density of beryllium copper and cupronickel?
Beryllium copper C17200 (UNS C17200) has a density of 8.36 g/cm³ after age hardening per Materion, and the same table notes 8.3 g/cm³ before heat treatment. Cupronickel 70/30 (UNS C71500) is 8.94 g/cm³ per Wieland, and constantan (CuNi44Mn1, about 45 % nickel) is 8.9 g/cm³ per Lamineries Matthey, so nickel leaves density at about the level of copper.
Keep reading
- All copper alloys, with strength and conductivity side by side
- Brass vs bronze vs copper: strength, conductivity, corrosion
- Brass vs bronze and copper vs bronze
- Brinell, Rockwell and Vickers hardness explained
- Density of materials compared
- Thermal conductivity of metals and melting points
How this was made
Each grade is a profile in the Space Mushroom database, drafted by AI assistants from cited pages and checked by a script against the cited source; each profile page lists its sources. Every number here is read from those profiles or computed from them (ratios, percentages and one stated unit conversion), and the build stops if a value or quoted phrase leaves the profile. A named reviewer has not yet signed this article.
Last checked 1 November 2026. Next review when a profile changes.