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Copper, zinc, stainless and specialty metals · Lesson 1 of 4

Copper, zinc, stainless and specialty metals: principles and terminology

Copper, lead-coated copper, stainless steel and zinc: how each is ordered, the words that describe their condition, what protects each surface, why fingerprints and stray steel are defects, and where the safety limits are.

You will be able to: Name the four specialty metals AFS lists and how each is ordered, define temper, ounce weight, rolling direction and passive layer, and state the safety boundaries for lead and for chemical treatments.

10 min · 9 slides · 8 questions

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Slide 1 of 9

The specialty four at AFS

AFS lists copper and lead-coated copper by weight (16, 20, 24, 32 oz), stainless steel by gauge (26 to 16 ga) and zinc by millimetre (0.7 and 0.8 mm).

None of the four is a painted material in AFS's list, so the surface the customer sees is the metal itself and every shop mark shows.

The specialty four: how AFS lists and forms eachFour cards. Copper and lead-coated copper are listed by ounce weight and take any profile; stainless steel is listed by gauge, with 18 and 16 gauge limited to one bend and no hems; zinc is listed by millimetre and every profile is confirmed by the shop. Each card names the ASTM standard and what protects the surface.CopperBy weight: 16, 20, 24 or 32 ozAny profileASTM B370Prints fade as it weathersLead-coated copperSame weights: copper rulesAny profileASTM B101Lead coat; copper at cut edgesStainless steelBy gauge: 26 to 16 ga18 and 16 ga: one bend, no hemsASTM A240Passive layer, kept cleanZincBy millimetre: 0.7 or 0.8 mmEvery profile shop-confirmedASTM B69Grey carbonate patina

Four cards. Copper: by ounce weight 16, 20, 24 or 32 oz, any profile, ASTM B370, fingerprints fade as it weathers. Lead-coated copper: same weights, any profile, ASTM B101, lead coating with copper at cut edges. Stainless steel: 26 to 16 gauge, 18 and 16 gauge one bend and no hems, ASTM A240, passive layer. Zinc: 0.7 or 0.8 mm, every profile confirmed by the shop, ASTM B69, grey carbonate patina.

Thickness units and bend rules from AFS's fabrication limits. Standards by designation only; the project specification names the standard and edition that apply.

Sources

Videos for this lesson

What this video shows: worldstainless on the passive layer of stainless steel: a few atoms thick and re-forming with oxygen when the surface is scratched.

Video: Stainless steel self-passivation explained by worldstainless, on YouTube. AFS checked its description against this lesson.

Glossary

Ounce-weight copper
Copper sheet named by its weight per square foot: 16 oz copper weighs 1.00 lb per square foot (Revere).
Temper (copper)
The hardness condition copper sheet is supplied in; ASTM B370 runs from O60 soft through H00 cold-rolled to H04 hard. H00 is the default in Revere's guide specification, and UFGS 07 60 00 calls it standard.
Titanium zinc
Rolled zinc alloyed with small amounts of copper and titanium, made to EN 988 by makers such as VMZINC and RHEINZINK; RHEINZINK also adds aluminium.
Rolling direction
The direction a zinc sheet travelled through the rolls; zinc behaves differently along and across it, and VMZINC marks it on the film.
Passive layer
The very thin surface layer, a few atoms thick, that protects stainless steel and re-forms with oxygen when the surface is scratched.
Embedded iron (free iron)
Carbon-steel particles from shared tools, wheels or racks pressed into a stainless surface, where they rust and make the stainless look rusty (SSINA).