- Materials
- Forms
- Reference Materials
-
Services
-
Services
-
-
Sectors
-
Supporting cutting edge research and development with advanced materials to your needs.
High performance materials for extreme conditions.
Innovative and lightweight materials with high mechanical properties and durability.
Materials used in chemical engineering from consumables to innovative solutions.
Advanced materials characterized by high electrical or insulation performance.
High quality materials for renewable energy.
Biocompatible and biodegradable materials to the highest standards.
High purity, biocompatible materials for high performance devices and applications.
High purity metals and alloys in various forms and crucibles suitable to your needs.
State of the art materials for the next generation of technologies.
High performance materials for extreme conditions.
Durable materials for corrosive environments.
Foils, disks or windows across a range of materials to facilitate your innovation.
Polymers, metal foils, and sustainable materials for your packaging needs.
Your requirements for unique products and attributes will be met across our 170,000+ product range and customization capabilities.
High-quality materials across branded products in various forms including rods, wires, and foils support space technology needs.
Highest quality materials to support your need for small-quantity specialist materials such as graphite and lithium compounds.
High purity materials to improve the reproducibility and reliability of your evaporation processes.
-
- Product Ranges
-
Resources
-
Find out our latest news.
Read our latest insights, and opinions.
Discover our Innovation Discovered podcasts on innovation, products, interesting topics, and more.
Find out how we've worked with our partners
Our latest updates on what we are doing, find out more.
Find out more about us and the great roles we have available for talented individuals. Find out more.
Take a look at our global distributors.
Explore our FAQ resource to help answer your key questions.
Gain a clearer picture of the language used in scientific study
-
- About Us
Brass Foil (Light Tight) (Cu63-Zn37)
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Thickness | Size | Temper ⓘ |
|---|---|---|
| 0.008 mm to 6 mm | 10 x 10 mm to 1000 x 2000 mm | As rolled Half hard Hard |
Need custom configurations? Please contact us.
Key Features
Brass Foil (Light Tight) (Cu 63/Zn 37) is a pinhole-free certified alpha-brass alloy foil combining the material’s good formability, electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance with guaranteed through-thickness barrier integrity:
Pinhole-Free Certification
Each batch is tested and certified clear of through-thickness defects, ensuring reliable function as a complete optical, gaseous, and fluid barrier. The certification confirms that the foil can serve as a complete optical isolation layer, EMI shielding barrier, and fluid seal simultaneously, without relying on secondary barrier elements to compensate for through-thickness defects.
Single-Phase Alpha-Brass for Good Cold Workability and Plateable Surface
The Cu63/Zn37 single-phase alpha-brass composition provides good cold-working response and a bright, plateable surface, supporting production of pinhole-free foil across a range of gauges and enabling subsequent tin, silver, or gold plating where required.
EMI Shielding Performance
Good electrical conductivity and the certified through-thickness barrier continuity combine to provide reliable electromagnetic shielding performance in sensitive electronic instruments, where any through-hole would compromise shielding effectiveness at the defect location.
Machinability and Dimensional Stability
Brass is one of the most readily machinable copper alloys, and dimensional stability of the single-phase structure supports precise aperture and shutter elements in optical instruments where form accuracy is a design requirement alongside barrier continuity.
Corrosion Resistance in Laboratory Environments
Good resistance to mild corrosion in laboratory and indoor environments qualifies brass light tight foil as a barrier and shielding material in laboratory enclosures and analytical instruments operating in ambient or mildly corrosive conditions.
Industrial Applications
Brass Foil (Light Tight) is used wherever pinhole-free barrier integrity must be combined with the machinability, EMI shielding, and electrical properties of the Cu63/Zn37 composition:
- ✦ Precision Optical Instrument Shutter and Aperture Elements
- Used for precision optical instrument shutter and aperture elements, where the combination of machinability for accurate aperture geometry, dimensional stability, and pinhole-free certification ensures complete optical isolation without through-thickness leakage paths.
- ✦ EMI Shielding Barriers in Sensitive Electronic Instruments
- Applied as EMI shielding barriers in sensitive electronic instruments, where the electrical conductivity of Cu63/Zn37 and the certified through-thickness barrier continuity provide reliable electromagnetic isolation without the shielding gaps that through-thickness defects in non-certified foil would create.
- ✦ Light-Tight Gaskets and Seal Elements in Optical Assemblies
- Used as light-tight gaskets and seal elements in optical assemblies, where pinhole-free certification provides the complete optical isolation required at joints and interfaces in instruments where background light exclusion is an experimental or performance requirement.
- ✦ Certified Barrier Foil in Laboratory Enclosures
- Applied as certified barrier foil in laboratory enclosures requiring both optical isolation and the machinability and electrical properties of brass, where the combination of properties is not available in alternative non-metallic or single-property metallic light-tight foil options.
- ✦ Photometric Calibration and Optical Absorption Research
- Provides a standardized pinhole-free electromagnetic shielding substrate for photometric instrument calibration, optical absorption measurements requiring guaranteed background exclusion, and as a reference material for barrier integrity testing of metallic foil products in mildly corrosive laboratory environments.
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Hardness - Brinell | 65-136 |
| Elongation at break( % ) | 55 |
| Modulus of elasticity( GPa ) | 95-110 |
| Shear strength( MPa ) | 280-310 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 330-500 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 6.2-6.6 |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.0016-0.0017 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 900-920 |
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 125@23°C |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 19-20.5@20-100°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 8.45 |
Tolerances
| Thickness | <0.01mm | ±25% |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.01mm - 0.05mm | ±15% |
| Thickness | >0.05mm | ±10% |
| Linear dimension | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Linear dimension | >=100mm | +2 / -1% |