Phosphor Bronze

90-10 Phosphor Bronze Wire Mesh – Alloy Overview

Phosphor bronze wire mesh (aka C220 bronze wire mesh) is the most extensively used bronze alloy in the industrial wire cloth world. As its common industry name suggests, 90-10 commercial bronze is comprised of 90% copper and 10% zinc, with small additions of lead (0.025%) and iron (0.025%). When compared to copper wire cloth, C220 bonze wire cloth possesses much better abrasion resistance, hardness, and tensile strength; it also exhibits improved corrosion resistance and lower electrical conductivity. As a higher zinc content results in a stronger, more ductile material, 90-10 commercial bronze is weaker and less ductile than other brass wire cloth alloys (i.e. 65-35 yellow brass). In comparison to phosphor bronzes, C220 bronze is a softer material. Some characteristics of 90-10 commercial bronze wire cloth which dictate its wide use are:

• The most widely used bronze alloy for wire cloth.
• Non-magnetic in all forms.
• Rich bronze (i.e. brown-red) in color.
• Withstands outdoor exposure without rusting.
• Superior resistance to atmospheric corrosion vs. brass alloys.
• Corrodes when exposed to ammonia and other salts.
• Good thermal and electrical conductivity.
• Antimicrobial.
• Can be cut, formed.