What H62 is
H62 is designated under GB/T 5231, the Chinese standard for wrought copper alloys. The H stands for the Chinese word for brass, and 62 gives the nominal copper content: approximately 62% copper, balance zinc, with a small allowance for impurities. Western designations do not map one-to-one, but the composition sits in the 62/38 brass family.
The practical consequence of that ratio is the property balance. Moving from 70% copper down to 62% raises tensile strength and hardness, improves machinability, and reduces the elongation that deep drawing depends on. Nothing is free: H62 trades formability for strength, and that trade is the reason both H62 and higher-copper brasses remain in use.
Typical properties for engineering reference
Typical values for H62 in sheet and strip form. Temper has a large effect on the mechanical figures, so specify it.
| Property | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Nominal composition | ~62% Cu, balance Zn |
| Tensile strength (soft / half-hard) | ~370-420 MPa / ~490-570 MPa |
| Elongation (soft) | ~35-45%, falling sharply with temper |
| Density | ~8.4-8.5 g/cm3 |
| Colour | Warm yellow-gold; darkens to brown over time if untreated |
| Machinability | Good — improves as zinc content rises |
| Corrosion resistance | Good in most atmospheres; caution with ammonia and chlorides |
| Typical uses | Terminals, connectors, fittings, decorative hardware, name plates |
H62 against the higher-copper brasses
The comparison that matters is with the 65/35 and 70/30 brasses, including the C26000 cartridge brass used for deep-drawn parts. Those grades are more ductile, which makes them the right answer for stamping a cup or a drawn shell in one operation, and their higher copper content gives a slightly richer colour.
H62 answers a different question: a connector tab, a fitting, a bracket or a decorative plate that needs strength or a stiffer spring temper rather than a deep draw. In those roles the lower ductility is irrelevant and the higher strength and lower copper cost are both advantages.
Fabrication notes
H62 machines and forms well in moderate operations — bending, blanking, light drawing — but it is not the grade for a deep draw that a 70/30 brass would take in one pass. Where more forming is needed, an intermediate anneal restores ductility and lets the work continue.
Joining follows normal copper-alloy practice. Soft soldering is straightforward and common on electrical parts; brazing also works. Where the part carries current and is assembled by welding, note that brass is not the ideal welding material and a design that avoids welded brass joints is usually the better engineering choice.
The other item to specify is surface treatment. Untreated brass tarnishes in service, so parts exposed to handling or weather should have a clear lacquer, a plating such as nickel, or a powder-coated finish — and that choice interacts with any soldering or brazing step, so the sequence matters.