Verified by Rachel Mayfield, Supply Chain Analyst - August 2026
Brass (CZ121/CW614N free-machining brass and general alpha-beta brasses): typical engineering properties at room temperature. These are representative handbook and datasheet values - composition, temper and product form move real figures, so for design work use the supplier's certified datasheet. For quick sizing, comparison and sanity checks, the table below is what you need.
Brass properties
| Property | Typical value | Unit |
|---|
| Density | 8,400-8,600 | kg/m3 |
| Melting range | 885-900 C | |
| Thermal conductivity | 115-125 | W/m K |
| Thermal expansion | 20.5 | x10-6 /K |
| Specific heat | 380 | J/kg K |
| Elastic modulus (E) | 97 | GPa |
| Tensile strength | 340-470 MPa depending on temper | |
Where brass is used
Typical applications: plumbing fittings, valve bodies, electrical terminals, bushes and decorative work.
What to know before specifying it
Free-machining brass cuts faster than any common engineering metal - the reason fittings and inserts are brass even where copper's conductivity or steel's strength might argue otherwise. Dezincification in aggressive water is the failure mode to know: DZR grades exist for exactly that.