Brass

metal · alloy · materials

Mix copper and zinc. Brass is made by combining two metals, copper and zinc, usually with about two parts copper for every one part zinc. Changing how much of each metal you use creates brass with different colors and strengths.

Ancient and useful. People have been making and using brass since prehistoric times, making it one of the oldest metals we know how to create. It's much older than many other metals people use today.

Shiny and special. Brass has amazing properties that make it perfect for lots of jobs. It can conduct electricity, make great sounds (like in trumpets and horns), and resists rust and corrosion better than regular copper.

Atoms trade places. In brass, the atoms of copper and zinc can actually swap positions with each other inside the crystal structure, which is why it's called a substitutional alloy. This special arrangement is what gives brass its unique abilities.