Different Kinds of Brass and Brass Plates and Why People Use Them

Brass Plates

There are many reasons why people use brass and brass plates for their nameplates and other needs. One of these reasons is due to the durability of this particular metal. This metal is generally made of zinc and copper. Depending on the amount used of either to produce this particular metal, as well as the addition of other metals like tin and iron, come the characteristics and usage types of each brass variant as well.

For example, 60% copper, 36% zinc and a tiny bit of tin as well as iron can produce a brass that is called Aich’s alloy. This particular metal is used for ships and other marine applications due to the toughness, hardness and corrosion resistance of such a brass product. There are quite a number of other brass types that are made for specific uses, like aluminum brass and rivet brass, and each has a specific manufacturing method ideal for them.

Some of the brass that is produced can only be worked hot while there are others that can be worked cold. This means that some brass types can only be customized when they are hot and others when they are soft and malleable enough to be crafted even after these have been cooled down. This can also mean that only brass that is malleable enough to be crafted after cooling down into plates are the ones that can be used to manufacture nameplates.

There are also brass types that are made to look like gold, such as the Prince’s metal, which has 25% zinc and 75% copper, which gives it the golden color it needs to make it imitate gold. The softest kind of brass around carries 95% copper and is called gilding metal, which is often used as jackets on bullets. Another high copper brass type is High Brass and Nickel Brass, with 65% and 70% copper content, respectively.

When it comes to brass plates used for nameplate creation, the types that are used are those that can be engraved or etched on. This basically means these are brass plates that can be worked cold since these come to manufacturers in sheets. These can come in a wide variety of thicknesses, with what you end up using depending on your budget and specific usage. Thicknesses can vary from a thin .020 plate, which is the most economical, to a thick .125” variant.