A material record / Metal
Brass
An alloy of copper and zinc whose colour runs from golden to pale yellow as the zinc rises.
01 / Origin
Where it comes from.
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, harder and stronger than copper. It was made in India and Mesopotamia as early as 1000 BCE and in Europe since Roman times, and by the fifth century it had overtaken bronze in Europe for household goods, hardware and decoration.
Its colour follows the zinc: as the proportion of zinc rises, the metal turns lighter, from golden through yellow towards silvery. Copper in the alloy can react with sulfur to form brown or black layers, which is why old brass looks darker and warmer than new.
In the Atlas: India
02 / Colour
The colours it gives.
Sampled from the material, at the numbered points.
A soft golden yellow on the highlights, with brown-olive shadows where the surface has aged.
- 01Highlight
#BD995D - 02Body
#94723D - 03Shadow
#856634
03 / In the studies
Where it appears.
3 studies use it.
Care
Moisture, chlorides and ammonia corrode brass. Wipe it dry, and keep cleaning products that contain ammonia away from it.