One of the most common questions among scrappers is, “Is brass worth more than bronze?” The short answer is no—bronze is typically worth more due to its higher copper content. Understanding the differences between these metals and identifying them can help you maximize your scrap metal earnings. In this guide, we’ll break down the key differences, provide identification tips, and show you how you can get the best prices for your brass and bronze scrap using the iScrap App.
Identifying the difference can be valuable when bronze is generally priced at $0.08-$0.25 per pound higher than brass.
What Is Brass?
Brass is a common non-ferrous metal often found in plumbing systems. It is generally used for pipe joints, faucets, and fixtures like those found on a sink. Brass is non-ferrous, which means it’s non-magnetic. It is also an alloy metal, which means it consists of more than one metal; in this case, it comprises copper and zinc.
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Copper is an element on the periodic table and is a red-colored metal. Zinc is also an element on the periodic table and is silver in color. When these two metals are combined, they create brass. The zinc mixed with the copper makes it stronger and more durable and creates the yellowish color you see with brass. Brass comprises 60-80% copper and 20-40% zinc.
Common Brass Materials:
What Is Bronze?
Bronze is not as common as brass due to its higher value to produce and purchase. It is also a non-ferrous and alloy metal. Bronze is a heavier metal than brass and can be found in plumbing fixtures and larger items like statues and decor. Another common item for which bronze is used is water meters. Due to the higher content of copper compared to zinc, bronze is generally red. Bronze comprises 80-90% copper and 10-20% zinc.
Common Bronze Materials:
Why Bronze Is Worth More Than Brass
The main factor that determines the value of brass and bronze is their composition:
- Brass: Lower copper content (60-80%) lowers prices.
- Bronze: Higher copper content (80-90%) leads to better market rates, with bronze scrap often selling for $0.08-$0.25 more per pound than brass.
For scrappers, understanding these differences is crucial to maximizing your profits.
What’s The Difference Between Brass and Bronze?
When you learn that brass and bronze are both made up of copper and zinc, it could be confusing to figure out the difference between them. Bronze is worth more money for scrap metal value and is reddish because it has a higher copper content.
Copper is worth more money than zinc, so the percentage of copper determines the price. Brass is more of a yellow color because it has a higher zinc content than the copper inside; therefore, it is worth less money in scrap metal.
Suggested Reading: Difference of Metal & Alloy
How to Identify Brass vs. Bronze
Identifying the difference is something that can be difficult if you don’t have exact measurement resources like XRF analyzers like some scrap yards may have. Knowing the difference between brass and bronze often comes with time and experience as a scrapper. If you are a plumber and work with various materials often, it’s easier to identify what types of scrap are bronze or brass. As a scrapper, it depends on how often you come across these materials and how you sort them.
Suggested Reading: Most Common Scrap Metals
Accurately identifying brass and bronze can make a big difference in your scrap metal earnings. Here are some methods to help you distinguish between them:
- Visual Test
- Brass: Yellowish color due to higher zinc content.
- Bronze: Reddish tint because of its high copper content.
- Weight Test
- Bronze is denser and heavier than brass. A small piece of bronze will weigh more than a similar-sized piece of brass.
- Filing Test
- Use a file to scrape the surface of the metal:
- Yellowish metal under the surface indicates brass.
- Reddish metal suggests bronze.
This is a must-have for scrappers looking to see what kind of metal they are dealing with. Especially helpful for transformers, copper, brass, and plates!
Tips for Selling Brass and Bronze Scrap
Once you have figured out the difference and made your best effort to separate the materials, you must ask your scrap yard how they buy them. Some scrap yards will have an XRF analyzer to separate the materials, or some may know what bronze looks like because of their experience. There may also be some scrap yards that actually mix the materials and give a flat price for them.
Suggested Reading: Finding The Best Scrap Yard
It’s essential to find a scrap yard in your area on the iScrap App and ask them about how they buy brass and bronze. If you feel that the scrap yard is not buying your material correctly, feel free to ask some of the scrappers on our forum. You may also want to look for another scrap yard to sell to.
When you want to recycle your brass and bronze scrap metal, know the difference between the two materials. Also, it can be helpful to see where the materials came from or what they were used for to help identify the difference between them.
