Brass, Grade Information
Red Brass
Red brass is a high-copper alloy (85% copper or more) that sits between brass and copper in composition and value, found in radiators, pumps, and specialist plumbing fittings.
Periodic Table Position
History & Interesting Facts
Red brass occupies the historical middle ground between copper and yellow brass. Its high copper content, typically 85% copper and 15% zinc, gives it the reddish colour of copper rather than the gold colour of 70/30 yellow brass. Ancient craftsmen produced alloys in this composition range as a natural consequence of working with variable ore compositions. The Romans produced their sestertius coins from an alloy very similar to red brass (orichalcum), valued for its reddish-gold colour. In the industrial era, red brass became the preferred material for radiator cores and tanks in vehicles and industrial cooling systems, for its excellent thermal conductivity (approaching copper) combined with better castability than pure copper. Victorian plumbers used high-copper brass for decorative exposed fittings where the richer colour was preferred aesthetically. Water meter bodies, pump impellers, and fire hydrant components have traditionally used red brass for its dezincification resistance, a critical property in water distribution applications.
Historical Uses
Red brass has historically been used in applications where the higher copper content provides specific advantages: water distribution fittings (where dezincification of lower-copper brasses was a problem), radiator cores and header tanks (where thermal conductivity is important), marine fittings (where salt water resistance is needed), and fire protection equipment. The motor trade generated enormous quantities of red brass scrap through the 20th century as vehicle radiators, predominantly red brass construction before the 1980s transition to aluminium, reached end of life. Industrial boilers used red brass in valve bodies and flanges handling hot water and steam. Pressure reducing valves, safety relief valves, and pressure gauges in water and steam systems typically use red brass or gunmetal (a related Cu-Sn-Zn alloy). Cast red brass was preferred for complex-shaped valve bodies that would have required expensive machining if made from pure copper.
Current Uses
Red brass scrap arises primarily from old vehicle radiators (older vehicles predating the 1980s–1990s switch to aluminium radiators), industrial heat exchanger cleaning and replacement, water meter bodies recovered during smart meter installation programmes, pump impellers and casings from decommissioned industrial plant, fire sprinkler fittings and hydrant components, and plumbing fittings from historic buildings. The grade commands a premium over yellow mixed brass because of its higher copper content. Scrap dealers and processors distinguish red brass by its distinctly reddish colour versus the yellow of standard brass. At the smelter, red brass scrap can be directed into high-copper brass or gunmetal alloy production, making it a versatile and valued feedstock.
Future Possible Uses
Red brass retains specific advantages over yellow brass in water systems, its resistance to dezincification (where zinc is selectively leached, leaving a spongy copper structure) makes it preferred for buried or embedded water fittings. UK water regulations specify dezincification-resistant (DZR) brass or red brass for fittings in many applications, ensuring ongoing demand for the alloy in new installation. The smart water metering rollout in the UK, replacing old mechanical meters with digital AMR units, provides a source of old red brass meter bodies while also creating demand for new precision-cast red brass in the replacement meters. Heat exchanger applications in industrial and HVAC systems continue to use red brass tube and fittings. As circular economy thinking matures, the high copper content of red brass makes it an increasingly valued recycling feedstock relative to lower-copper brass grades.
Where Does This Scrap Come From?
Red brass scrap comes from old vehicle radiators (look for the distinctive reddish colour of the tanks and core), water meter bodies from smart meter replacement programmes, industrial pump and valve bodies from plant decommissions, old fire protection equipment, heat exchanger tube bundles from industrial plant, and old marine fittings from boat refurbishments. Identifying red brass correctly is commercially important, it pays significantly more per tonne than yellow mixed brass. The colour test (reddish versus golden-yellow) is the primary field identification method. XRF analysis at the scrap yard confirms the composition precisely. Red brass often has solder joints, rubber gaskets, or steel bolts attached, removing these before sale maximises the per-tonne price received.
How Is It Remanufactured?
Red brass scrap is particularly valued by copper alloy foundries producing gunmetal (Cu-Sn-Zn) and red brass castings. Its high copper content means it can substitute for copper in some applications. At a secondary smelter, red brass is melted at approximately 1,000°C (slightly higher than yellow brass, reflecting the higher copper content). OES analysis of the melt confirms composition, and minor additions of copper or zinc bring the melt to the target specification. The refined alloy is cast into ingots or billets. Red brass rod and tube production uses continuous casting processes. The resulting material is used for plumbing fittings, valve bodies, pump components, and heat exchanger tubes, all applications where the material's properties were first proven centuries ago. Recycled red brass is compositionally identical to primary alloy and fully substitutable.
5-Year Price Trend & Forecast
Red brass scrap pays more per tonne than yellow mixed brass, typically 10–20% above mixed brass prices, reflecting its higher copper content. Over 2021–2026, as the LME copper price rose strongly from around $6,500 to a record $13,842/tonne, red brass scrap values moved accordingly. UK scrap yard prices for red brass have ranged from approximately £3,000 to £5,200/tonne during this period, with the high point in early 2022 when copper spiked. Through 2023–2025, prices moderated and stabilised in the £3,200–4,500/tonne range. The long-term outlook for red brass scrap prices is positive, tracking the copper market's structural bull trend driven by electrification demand. As with all non-ferrous metals, daily prices at the scrap yard track LME movements closely.
📌 Note: All scrap yard prices paid by QuickStop Metals are updated daily against the prevailing market rate. Check today’s prices →
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