Bronze and brass are alloys that have been used for centuries to produce objects of utilitarian and aesthetic value. An article from Diffen.com states that, “Brass and bronze are metal alloys used extensively in everyday objects. While brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, bronze is an alloy consisting mainly of copper, combined most often with tin, but at times also with other metals.”

While both brass and bronze have been used to create remarkable works of art, their unique properties also make them ideally suited for everyday applications. Brass is often used to make locks, gears, doorknobs, and brass garden hose fittings. Bronze, on the other hand, has been used in boat and ship fittings because of its resistance to salt water corrosion.

While both bronze and brass are resistant to the corrosive effects of water, bronze has a stronger threshold than brass. Bronze is also much harder than brass, and is more difficult to manipulate into different forms, whereas brass has a reputation for malleability. Brass has strong acoustic properties, making it the metal of choice for musical instruments like the tuba, trumpet, saxophone, and French horn.

Contemporary bronze objects are usually copper alloys, some of which contain silicon, manganese, aluminum, iron, lead, and other elements with or without tin. Bronze pipe fittings are used in piping and tubing systems, and are considered ideal for many industrial applications. Aside from being resistant to metal fatigue, bronze pipe fittings are also suitable for water, steam, gas, air, and oil piping systems.

High quality brass hose barb fittings and other brass objects are relatively resistant to tarnishing and are non-magnetic. It’s relatively low melting point and flow characteristics also make it easier to cast than other alloys. Renowned global suppliers and manufacturers of brass fittings, such as Gruner Brass Fittings Corp., supply hose barb fittings which can be attached to either plastic or rubber tubing, and can be used to regulate liquid flow.

As both bronze and brass have different potentials for galvanic corrosion, it is important to prevent dissimilar metals from coming into contact, as this can set up electric currents in electrically conducive fluids such as saltwater. Hence, dissimilar brass fittings should not be connected to bronze fittings.

(Article Excerpt and Image from Brass vs Bronze; Diffen.com)