How to distinguish a copper radiator from a brass one. Ways to determine copper and brass yourself at home

Copper is a soft, malleable, expensive reddish metal, characterized by high thermal and electrical conductivity. Brass is a copper-based alloy (double or multi-component) in which zinc is an alloying additive. In some cases, iron, manganese, nickel, chromium and other elements are used for etching.

Copper is the more expensive non-ferrous metal. Find out the price at which it is carried out at the LOMTSVETMET point.

There are fundamental differences between copper and brass, the knowledge of which will allow you to accurately determine the material from which the product is made. How to check the authenticity of copper:

Color. Copper has a reddish or reddish-brown hue.
Elasticity. In its pure form, the metal is ductile, easily drawn and rolled.
Activity. Copper is an inactive metal. Under normal conditions, it does not lose its properties in dry air, in fresh and sea water, in non-oxidizing acids, alkaline and saline solutions (without oxygen). The material becomes unstable when exposed to ammonia, ammonium chloride, oxidizing mineral acids.
Corrosion resistance. Copper has increased anti-corrosion performance. Over time, a protective film, a patina, forms on the surface of the metal.
Magnet. Pure metal does not react to magnets.

What you need to know about brass:

Color. A number of brasses have a light golden color, but there are special alloys that are distinguished by a reddish or orange tint.
Ease of soldering. Brass can be easily soldered using hard and soft solders.
Corrosion resistance. Under normal operating conditions, it exhibits high resistance to corrosion.
Plastic. It is difficult to bend brass without heating.

You can determine what material a particular item is made of in the following ways:

White light. Before checking, the product must be cleaned of surface contaminants. Substitute an object under a source of white: a uniform red-brown color is characteristic of copper, a non-uniform shade and overflows - for brass. An incandescent lamp and sunlight are not suitable for the experiment.
Sound. The method is suitable for testing large items. Take a metal tool and lightly strike the surface of the object: a muffled low sound means using copper, a high sonorous sound means brass.
Pressure. Take a small object and press it with your fingers. If the material gives in and does not break, then it is copper, if the product is solid and does not respond to pressure, then it is brass.
reaction to hydrochloric acid. Apply a couple of drops of hydrochloric acid (HCl) to the surface of the object to be checked: the copper will clear and show its natural color, and a white substance will appear on the brass - zinc oxide (Z n O).
drilling. Using a drill and a drill for metal, you can drill a small hole in the product. Long ornate shavings are characteristic of copper, sharp short crumbs are characteristic of brass.
reaction to nitric acid. If you drop nitric acid (HNO 3) on copper, then its surface will turn blue-green. In the case of brass, there will be no such reaction.

Materials will differ from each other by markings. Brass is always denoted with a capital letter "L" and numbers indicating the percentage of copper. Copper grades usually begin with a capital "M". Another distinguishing feature is weight. If you compare two products of equal volume, then brass will be lighter. It is also possible to distinguish a copper product from a brass one, guided by its cost. Pure copper is more expensive than brass.

Examples for comparison are cable wires (copper) and a 50-kopeck coin (brass).

Copper is a widespread metal, because man mastered it one of the first. Due to its plasticity, malleability and high strength, weapons, kitchen utensils, jewelry, coins and art have long been made from copper. Today, since it is also the best conductor of heat and electricity, it is most often used in the manufacture of electrical products.

In nature, it can be found both in nuggets and in the form of compounds. In order to correctly determine the authenticity of copper at home, it is important to remember that its properties are very much affected by the content of any impurities. In its pure form, it has a number of characteristic features, you just need to figure out how it differs from other metals.

main parameters

Color

First, copper has a reddish-pink color. Over time, it can change from red-brown to reddish-orange. If the metal lies and oxidized for a long time, then it is better to look at the color on a fresh cut. Or the surface should be lightly filed so that the original texture is better visible.

Plastic

It is a very soft plastic material. An object made of copper (for example, a wire) bends easily, while it does not break or crumble. It is not at all necessary to bend or crush the product. With a little effort, you can press and understand how malleable the metal is in front of you.

Corrosion

Copper is a very photosensitive metal, and has high anti-corrosion properties. If for a long time it is in the open air, or in a humid environment, it changes its color. It is covered with a green film, which protects copper products from rust. And further spread of corrosion in depth.

If a visual inspection to determine the authenticity was not enough, you can use some more tricks to check the authenticity of the copper.

The heating

Using a gas burner, a stove, or a simple lighter (it all depends on the size of the object), heat a piece of metal well. Copper first dims, then becomes darker and eventually turns completely black, as a layer of copper oxide forms.

Magnet

An ordinary magnet can also help determine the authenticity of a copper product; pure copper does not react to it at all.

Nitric acid

If pure metal is dripped with nitric acid, it becomes blue-green in color.

There are many alloys based on copper. How to distinguish one from the other?

Distinguish copper from brass

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Not surprisingly, they are visually very similar. The more zinc in the alloy, the lighter the brass. So copper is definitely redder.
In addition, brass is a harder metal, without additional heat treatment (casting) it is difficult to bend it. So we try to bend or check for a tooth.

Also brass is lighter. Electrodes for the plug of any electrical household appliance are made of brass. So at home there is always something to compare.

Distinguish copper from bronze

Bronze is an alloy of copper with tin and other elements, most often a reddish-brown color. These two metals are also very similar in appearance. Remember that all its alloys, compared to copper, are always much harder.

To determine, you need to prepare a hot saline solution. Then either pour it on a pre-cleaned surface, or lower the copper wire into the solution for a while. The same should be done with a bronze product. Under the influence of hot salt water, the shade of copper will become much darker in comparison with bronze.

One of the main problems for those wishing to hand over non-ferrous scrap is the definition of its type. In this article, we will tell how to distinguish copper from another color met in at home. Copper is one of the oldest metals discovered by man. Due to its properties, it is widely used in various fields, but it is most widely used in electrical engineering.

Copper is mined both in nuggets and in ore. As for waste and scrap, copper alloys are often found. There are several ways to tell if it's a pure metal or an alloy. Let's take a look at each separately.

Check color

Almost everyone knows the copper shade, but it's worth using a wire to check. It is made without impurities, which allows you to compare colors. It is better to do this in daylight or under warm artificial light. When viewed under a cool bluish, the tint of copper is yellow-green.

Please note that the old metal oxidizes. There will be a greenish-bluish layer on top. In this case, it is better to check the color on the cut.

Test with a magnet

Copper does not have the properties of magnetism. If a metal reacts to a magnet, then it is an alloy. The only point: aluminum can be hidden under the copper layer. It also does not respond to magnets. Therefore, it is recommended that after the magnetism test, make sure that the metal is clean on the cut.

Apply heat

If you heat a copper plate or wire, then a clean sample will first fade, and then it will be black-brown. It should not smoke or emit strong odors. If the reaction is different, you have an alloy in your hands.

How to distinguish copper from brass or bronze

Brass alloys vary in zinc content. If there is a lot of it (up to 45%), the metal will be much whiter, and it can be easily distinguished by color from copper wire. If zinc is not more than 10%, it will be more difficult to determine the composition. The first option is to check for bending. The plate will be harder than pure copper. But a more reliable way is to remove the chips. At shallow it is in the form of a curl. Brass has needle-shaped straight strips.

Copper plates are usually distinguished from bronze by pressure. There are traces on soft copper. Not in bronze.

These are the main ways distinguish copper from another color met in at home. For an expert assessment and for detailed advice on all types of color and ferrous metal, please call the numbers listed on our website.

How to distinguish scrap copper from bronze and brass?

Selling copper scrap. many expect large sums and good earnings from the sale. Instead of the planned amount, they are offered a smaller amount, which causes not only indignation, but also distrust of the non-ferrous scrap metal collection point. The cause of this problem is mistaking scrap for copper. The delusion is primarily caused by the color of products, chips, metal waste.

Brass or copper?

Brass is similar in color to copper, as it is present in the brass composition. Based on this, a regularity follows: the greater the percentage of Cu in the alloy, the more pronounced the reddish-brown color will be. Alloys containing less than 80% copper are easy to identify visually, as the yellow color, reminiscent of gold, dominates.

If the scrap consists of shavings, it will not be difficult to determine copper. Copper shavings have an ornate appearance. When processing brass, the chips take on needle-like chipped shapes.

The most erroneous is the adoption of L-96 steel for copper, since Cu in the composition reaches 95-97%. At the collection points of "Russlom" we accept scrap copper after identifying the real alloy. For this, an examination is carried out. Only after analysis can a final conclusion be made. Even an experienced specialist will not always be able to determine "by eye" scrap metal.

To independently make sure that you are handing over scrap copper, you can conduct an analysis at home. This will require hydrochloric acid. One drop will be enough to see the reaction and draw the appropriate conclusions. When hydrochloric acid gets on copper, it eliminates oxides and makes the copper surface visually clean. When interacting with an alloy of brass, the acid will cause a reaction during which a white substance will be released. This is zinc chloride, which is inevitably formed, since the L-96 alloy contains Zn.

Bronze or copper?

Bronze is a type of copper alloy, which includes tin, manganese, aluminum, silicon and other substances. You can distinguish bronze from copper by knowing the features of the bronze alloy. The delivery of scrap copper is always carried out with a laboratory assessment of the alloy, if the color shade is very similar to copper.

Distinctive are the following characteristics of metals:

Color. Copper has a reddish brown and reddish pink color. Unlike the dominant element (aluminum, beryllium, magnesium, etc.), the bronze alloy takes on shades from yellow-pink, pink or grayish brown to reddish gold.
Color change on contact with hot saline. It is enough to dilute the salt in water and heat the solution. The copper poured by him will begin to change its color, darken, unlike bronze.
Elasticity. Copper is a soft metal, so you can bend a thin plate or wire with one hand. Bronze, depending on the composition, can surpass even steel in terms of strength.
Natural patination. If copper products interact with the atmosphere for a long time, the process of patination appears - a coating of a greenish color with a substance that serves as protection against corrosion.

If we consider the price side, then the purchase of copper scrap is the most expensive. This is the most profitable metal for people who want to make money on the sale. You will receive a smaller amount, but also a decent income, by renting bronze scrap in bulk or in a small amount. The cheapest among the copper, bronze and brass groups is the latter. You can find out the final cost on the day of sale by driving to the nearest collection point or by calling us.

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