ForMatter/Materials/metal/Cartridge Brass (C26000)
mat_brass_c26000_cartridge

Cartridge Brass (C26000)

α-brass, deep-drawing grade · 70/30 brass, yellow brass, UNS C26000, cartridge brass
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The brass that ammunition cases are made from, and the brass most yellow brass things are made from — door hardware, plumbing fittings, instrument bells, jewelry stock. 70% copper, 30% zinc, soft enough to deep-draw into a tall thin shape without splitting, hard enough to keep that shape. The default workshop brass.

α-brass (70% Cu, 30% Zn) — single-phase FCC solid solution at all temperatures, so cold-formable to extreme reductions without intermediate annealing. The widest deep-drawing window of any brass alloy. Anneals at 425 °C; tensile 380 MPa hard temper, 315 MPa half-hard. Stress-corrosion susceptible ("season cracking") if cold-worked and exposed to ammonia — historical issue in tropical-stored military cartridges.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_half_hard315
  • tensile_strength_mpa_hard380
  • yield_strength_mpa_half_hard240
  • elongation_pct_annealed66
  • hardness_rockwell_b_half_hard60
  • density_kg_m38530
source: ASTM B36; ASM Handbook Vol. 2

thermal

  • liquidus_c954
  • solidus_c915
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk120
source: MakeItFrom; ASM

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg4.5
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • embodied carbon recycled kg co2e per kg1.8
  • recyclabilityvery high — closed-loop with quality preservation
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsASTM B36 (sheet/strip), ASTM B19 (cartridge cases)
visual
saturated yellow as polished, tarnishes to warm bronze and eventually to dark patina if untreated
tactile
smooth, takes a bright lacquer-protected polish or a hand-rubbed warm finish
weight perception
heavy

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere metallic finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      metallic
albedo        #b8a058
metallic      1.00
roughness     0.25
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#b8a058",
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Cartridge Brass (C26000) · finish: metallic
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_brass_c26000_cartridge")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.4793, 0.3515, 0.0976, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Cartridge Brass (C26000) · finish: metallic
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_brass_c26000_cartridge", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (184, 160, 88))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     1.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Cartridge Brass (C26000) \u00b7 finish: metallic",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.4793,
    "g": 0.3515,
    "b": 0.0976
  },
  "metallic": 1.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_brass_c26000_cartridge",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.4793,
          0.3515,
          0.0976,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 1.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.25
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Cartridge Brass (C26000) · finish: metallic
def Material "mat_brass_c26000_cartridge" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_brass_c26000_cartridge/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.4793, 0.3515, 0.0976)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 1.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.250
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessSheet-Metal Bending · Brazing · Laser Cutting · CNC Milling · Sandblasting (Abrasive Blasting)
Substitutes
Copper C11000 (Electrolytic Tough Pitch)
Bearing Bronze (C93200, SAE 660)

Citations

  • url · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass
  • standard · ASTM B36 — Standard Specification for Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled Bar.
  • book · ASM Handbook Vol. 2: Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys, copper alloys section.