Types and Applications of Bronze

Bronze is an alloy primarily composed of copper and tin, which has found applications for over 5000 years due to its unique mechanical properties. In this article, we summarize the different types of bronzes, their key technical properties, and current applications.

Advantages of Bronze

The history of bronze dates back to prehistoric times when this material became so crucial for the production of weapons, tools, and artworks that it defined an entire era – the Bronze Age. Traditionally, bronze was composed of 78–93% copper, 5–20% tin, and other additives up to 2%. This alloy exhibits high strength and hardness, making it highly resistant to mechanical stress. Another key advantage is its excellent workability, allowing for precise shaping and final processing of products. The third advantage is its resistance to corrosion, enabling long-term use of bronze products even in aggressive environments such as saltwater or in the presence of acidic and alkaline substances. Thus, bronze excels in overall durability.

Ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome experimented with the addition of other metals like lead, arsenic, and zinc. Later, aluminum, silicon, nickel, and manganese began to be used. These additives enhance the desired properties of the alloys – for example, higher hardness, temperature resistance, machinability, or lubricity. Therefore, we categorize bronze alloys based on these additives.

Modern Types of Bronzes

Tin Bronze (Classic)

  • Composition: Copper (80–90%) + Tin (3–15%) + other additives (zinc, lead, nickel)
  • Properties: Balanced strength, machinability, and resistance to corrosion and wear
  • Applications: Gears, bearings, bushings, precise castings

Aluminum Bronze

  • Composition: Copper (80–90%) + Aluminum (5–15%) + Iron (up to 6%) + Nickel (up to 6%) + other additives (manganese, silicon)
  • Properties: Increased strength and resistance to corrosion, wear, and material fatigue, lower density
  • Applications: Bearing bushings, pressure nuts, gears and worm wheels, marine hardware

Leaded Bronze

  • Composition: Copper (70–85%) + Tin (2–12%) + Lead (2–25%) + Zinc (1–4%) + other additives (nickel, iron)
  • Properties: Increased machinability, lubricity, and tightness, moderate corrosion resistance, higher density
  • Applications: Bearings, bearing shells or bushings without lubricant, pressure-tight castings, crankshafts, components working in acidic water

Phosphor Bronze

  • Composition: Copper (85–90%) + Tin (0.5–11%) + Phosphorus (0.01–0.35%)
  • Properties: Increased strength and wear resistance, reduced melt viscosity
  • Applications: Rings, bushings, or valves working under high load, springs, electrical contacts, guitar strings

Silicon Bronze

  • Composition: Copper (88–95%) + Silicon (1–5%) + Zinc (up to 5%) + Iron (up to 2.5%) + other additives (manganese, aluminum)
  • Properties: Increased strength and corrosion resistance, good ductility, very good solderability
  • Applications: Industrial fasteners (screws, bolts), marine hardware (hulls of yachts or motorboats), electrical components, sculptures

Nickel Bronze (including Cupronickel)

  • Composition: Copper (60–85%) + Nickel (5–20%) + Iron (up to 4%) + Manganese (up to 5%) + Aluminum (up to 7.5%) + Zinc (up to 25%)
  • Properties: Increased strength and corrosion resistance, moderate machinability
  • Applications: Marine applications, saltwater piping, aircraft or marine platform components, musical instruments, decorative door and window elements

Manganese Bronze

  • Composition: Copper (60–66%) + Zinc (22–35%) + Manganese (2–5%; special alloys up to 15%) + other additives (aluminum, iron, lead)
  • Properties: Increased strength, excellent wear resistance, good corrosion resistance, moderate machinability
  • Applications: Bushings, bearings, nuts, or joints in the marine, oil, and gas industries, resistors (alloys with high Mn content like manganin and resistin)

Beryllium Bronze (Beryllium Copper)

  • Composition: Copper (97–98%) + Beryllium (1.7–2.5%) + other additives (nickel, chromium, titanium)
  • Properties: Increased strength and conductivity, good wear resistance, non-sparking, non-magnetic
  • Applications: Electrical connectors, special springs, aircraft and spacecraft landing gear, tools for the oil and gas industry

Our Company's Products

We focus on supplying high-quality bronze alloys that meet demanding technical requirements. Our extensive stock includes bronze bars in various profiles (round, flat, square, hexagonal), tubes (pipes, bushings), and sheets suitable for industrial or construction use. On the Materials and norms page, you will find descriptions of the offered bronze grades, which are characterized by long-term durability, but differ in their specific properties depending on the chemical composition and manufacturing process. Our products meet strict quality standards within international certification, making them suitable for professional and specialized applications in various industrial sectors.

12. 05. 2025, 13:42