What is Phosphor Bronze?

Phosphor bronze is a copper alloy containing both tin and phosphorus. It’s a highly-valuable, specialty metal with many positive attributes. Here are the properties and characteristics that make phosphor bronze a sought-after alloy.

Properties and Characteristics

Strength and resilience – phosphor bronze is a fatigue-resistant alloy. It holds up exceptionally well to wear. The inclusion of tin is what gives phos bronze its added strength, and phosphorus gives it a greater wear resistance.

Corrosion resistance – this alloy is commonly used in applications where it will have exposure to corrosive chemicals and/or physical elements.

Electrical conductivity – the use of phos bronze in electrical components is perhaps its most well-known application.

Excellent elasticity – the fine grain size of this alloy enables the material to have a greater degree of springback.

Applications

Due to its properties, phosphor bronze is a popular alloy for the creation of electrical components. Perhaps the most common being electrical contacts. For example, some of the “things” that plug into the back of computers are made of phosphor bronze. It might not always be visible though because the contacts are oftentimes plated before being injection molded.

Beyond electrical connectors, phos bronze is used in the manufacturing of components like welding rods, switch parts, fuse clips, springs, and fasteners – especially when they’ll be used in an application where corrosion resistance and the other unique properties of phosphor bronze are ideal.

Phosphor Bronze at Mead Metals

We stock phosphor bronze sheet and strip in a wide variety of thicknesses and tempers, and it’s available in both sheet and strip. Our phos bronze is sourced from the United States and from Germany, and the typical yield for a minimum lot charge of phos bronze is 5-7#.