ScrapBull
Brass Turnings
Non-Ferrous Brass

Brass Turnings

Grade: Night/NomadMedium Tier

Yellow brass turnings and borings from machining

Market Price EstimateUpdated Daily
$2,450/ MT
+85 (3.6%)vs yesterday
Verified specifications & market data

Chemical Composition

Elemental breakdown by percentage weight.

Standard composition limits
Values represent maximum allowed percentage unless otherwise noted.

Physical Properties

Material form, density, and contamination specifications.

Yellow brass machining waste from industrial production; loose curly turnings; oil-contaminated from cutting fluids; high-volume commodity; direct foundry-melt feedstock

Acceptable Inclusions
  • Machining coolant and cutting oil residue (major component)
  • Light oxidation from machining
  • Coolant emulsion residue
  • Light corrosion from storage
  • Lead <2.5% (free-cutting brass acceptable)
  • Iron <2.0% (tool wear contamination acceptable)
  • Aluminum <1.0% (minor contamination)
Prohibited Materials
  • Copper content <60% (must be yellow brass minimum)
  • Zinc content >40% (composition imbalance)
  • Heavy iron/steel shavings (>2.0% or visible ferrous turnings)
  • Stainless steel turnings mixed in
  • Aluminum turnings (>1% substantial mixing)
  • Hazardous coolant (PCB-containing, radioactive, toxic)
  • Explosive or reactive materials
  • Non-metal contamination (rubber, plastic, fabric)
  • Unknown material mixing (composition uncertainty)

Quality Assurance

Testing protocols, sampling methods, and acceptance criteria.

Sampling Protocol
frequencyRandom stratified sampling from multiple shipment positions and depth
maximumQuantity120-150 samples per shipment
minimumQuantity2-3 tonnes or 100-150 individual turning samples by weight
percentage12-18% of lot
stratificationSample across different machine shop sources if mixed lot; diverse batch generations
Acceptance Limits
all Criteria Must PassMaterial must be yellow brass turnings; composition verified; oil content documented
aluminum LimitAluminum <1%
copper ContentCu 60-70%
ferrus Exclusionferrous/steel turnings visible; non-magnetic character confirmed
iron LimitFe <2.0%
lead LimitPb <2.5%
material IdentityConfirmed yellow brass turnings
oil Content LimitOil <3.0%
oil TypeStandard machine shop coolant
stainless Exclusionstainless steel detected
zinc ContentZn 25-40%
Weight Tolerance
measurementVerified by certified scale; weight certificate required for lots >2 tonnes
variance±6% from purchase order weight

Required Test Methods

Visual Inspection

Method 1
Purpose
  • Confirm yellow brass turnings (not steel/ferrous)
  • verify no obvious contamination
  • assess color/condition
Acceptance Criteria
  • Brass-colored turnings predominant (golden/copper tone)
  • NO visible steel/ferrous shavings
  • NO stainless steel ribbons
  • yellow brass appearance clear
Procedure
  • 100% visual scan of samples
  • confirm material color/identity
  • identify any visible ferrous turnings or stainless steel mixing
  • assess surface oil saturation

Magnetic Test

CRITICAL
Method 2
Purpose
  • exclude ferrous/steel turnings contamination
  • verify non-magnetic aluminum character
Acceptance Criteria
  • Non-magnetic or very weak magnetism (brass/copper expected)
  • NO strong ferrous response
  • NO steel turnings mixing
Procedure
  • Magnet test on sample turnings
  • strong attraction indicates steel/ferrous contamination (rejection trigger)
  • weak/no response expected for brass

Oil Content Assessment

CRITICAL
Method 3
Purpose
  • evaluate cutting fluid and coolant saturation
  • assess oil drainage status
  • document processing cost impact
Acceptance Criteria
  • Oil <3.0% documented (specification limit)
  • oil content within range
  • drainage status assessed

Composition Consistency Check

Method 4
Purpose
  • Assess yellow brass consistency across different turnings sources if mixed lot
Acceptance Criteria
  • Composition consistent with 60-70% Cu + 25-40% Zn range
  • yellow brass standard verified
Procedure
  • Visual/weight assessment
  • confirm similar material characteristics across samples

Ferrous Contamination Verification

CRITICAL
Method 5
Purpose
  • confirm NO ferrous/steel turnings mixing
  • verify non-ferrous purity
Acceptance Criteria
  • Ferrous turnings
  • iron from tool wear only (<2.0%)
  • non-magnetic character confirmed

Stainless Steel Exclusion Check

Method 6
Purpose
  • Exclude stainless steel ribbon/chip contamination (incompatible with foundry)
Acceptance Criteria
  • NO stainless steel detected
  • yellow brass turnings

XRF Spectrometry

Method 7
Purpose
  • Verify Cu 60-70% and Zn 25-40%
  • assess lead/iron contamination
  • confirm yellow brass specification
Acceptance Criteria
  • Cu 60-70%, Zn 25-40% (yellow brass verified), Pb <2.5%, Fe <2.0%
Procedure
  • XRF after light pressing/squeezing to expel excess surface oil
  • representative core analysis

Aluminum Turnings Contamination Check

Method 8
Purpose
  • Exclude aluminum chip mixing (non-ferrous contamination
  • foundry incompatible)
Acceptance Criteria
  • Aluminum <1% (minimal acceptable)
  • no visible aluminum turnings
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