Bronze is an alloy of Copper and tin, but other elements such as aluminum, phosphorus, or silicon can also be added. It is known for its strength, durability, and resistance to corrosion. Bronze has been used for casting sculptures, making musical instruments, and producing bearings, gears, and coins. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, but other elements like lead, tin, or Aluminum may be added for specific purposes. It is valued for its attractive golden appearance, malleability, and acoustic properties. Brass is used in musical instruments, plumbing fittings, decorative items, and electrical connectors.

Cupronickel is an alloy of copper and nickel, with varying compositions depending on the desired properties. It exhibits excellent resistance to corrosion in seawater and is commonly used for marine applications, such as shipbuilding, offshore structures, and heat exchangers. Cupronickel is also used in coinage and electrical components. These alloys, also known as nickel silvers or German silvers, are composed of copper, nickel, and zinc. They resemble Silver in appearance and are commonly used in jewelry, silverware, musical instruments, and electrical connectors.

‎1- Pure copper: which contains 99.3% or more copper.‎

‎2 - Alloys with a high percentage of copper: have a percentage of copper between 96% to ‎‎99.3% and to achieve special properties, silver may be added.‎

‎3- Brass: It has Zinc as the main alloying element, also other elements such as iron, aluminum, ‎nickel, and silicon are added to improve the properties of the alloy. Brass has high corrosion ‎resistance and tensile strength.‎

Brass additives

Adding lead to brass Metal compounds can improve machining properties, as well as reduce ‎tool wear. Adding aluminum, iron, and manganese to rice increases strength, adding silicon ‎improves abrasion resistance.‎

Classification of brasses

• Alpha brass, with a zinc content of less than 37%. These alloys are ductile and can be cooled.‎
• Alpha-beta or binary brass contains 37-45% zinc. These alloys have a more limited ductility ‎and are harder and stronger.‎

Brass metal families:‎

• CU-Zn alloys
• ‎CU-Zn-Pb alloys (leaded brass)‎
• ‎Cu-Zn-Sn alloys (tin brass)‎

‎4 - Bronzes: have tin as the only alloying element or the main alloying element. Today, bronze ‎refers to copper alloys whose main alloy element is other than nickel and zinc.‎

The bronze family includes:‎

• Cu-Sn-P alloys (phosphor bronzes)‎
• ‎CU-Sn-Pb-P alloys ((lead phosphor bronze)‎
• ‎Cu-Al alloys ((aluminum bronze)‎
• ‎CU-Si alloys ((silicon bronzes)‎

‎5 - Other alloy groups

• CU-Ni alloys: As the name implies, the main alloying element is nickel. This group can include ‎other alloying elements or nickel alone.‎
• CU-Ni-Zn alloys: These alloys are known as nickel silver due to the color of the alloy. This ‎group contains zinc and nickel as the main alloying elements, and other alloying elements may ‎also be added.‎

Leaded Copper: Lead copper is a cast copper alloy that contains 20% or more lead additive. They ‎also contain small amounts of silver but no trace elements or zinc.‎

‎6- Special alloys: When alloys contain Chemical compounds that do not fall into any of the ‎above groups, they are called special alloys.‎

Copper-aluminum alloys, such as aluminum bronze or aluminum brass, combine copper with aluminum. These alloys possess high strength, corrosion resistance, and thermal conductivity. They find applications in marine environments, heat exchangers, and various industrial components. Copper-silver alloys, known as silvered copper or coin silver, are blends of copper and silver. They were historically used for making coins, cutlery, and decorative items. These alloys can exhibit enhanced antimicrobial properties due to the presence of silver.

Copper-beryllium alloys, also called beryllium copper, contain copper with a small percentage of beryllium. These alloys possess high strength, hardness, and electrical conductivity. They are used in electrical connectors, springs, switches, and other applications requiring excellent mechanical and electrical properties.