Difference Between Low/High Carbon Steel & Nickel Silver in Brush Wire

If you are looking to buy brush wire, there are a wide range of materials available. Some of the most common materials for brush wire include stainless & nickel alloys, phosphor bronze, brass, low & high carbon steel, and nickel silver. In our previous blog we looked at stainless & nickel alloys, phosphor bronze, and brass. Today we will be breaking down the other three materials and their capabilities so you can choose the one most suited to your applications. Continue reading to learn about low & high carbon steel, and nickel silver.

Low Carbon Steel:

Low carbon steel is used in brush wire as a medium tensile and corrosive resistant material. Here at Loos and Company we use 0.15 carbon maximum and draw solely from zinc-coated low carbon steel. The high quality of low carbon steel makes it an excellent choice for the manufacturing of brush wire.

High Carbon Steel:

High carbon steel offers a higher tensile than low carbon steel. We recommend Carbon C1071 for high carbon steel brush wire as it is extremely high quality and is a high-fatigue brush material.

Nickel Silver:

Nickel silver has increase corrosion resistance and a very high tensile strength. The reason for these properties is thanks to the nickel content in the silver. NiAg 745 is our choice for nickel silver brush wire. It is a white alloy made of 10% nickel, 25% zinc, and 65% copper. Some of the main applications of this material are staples and brush fill.

Now that you have an understanding of three different types of materials offered for brush wire, you can confidently choose the one most suited to your application! If you would like to learn more about Loos and Company’s brush wire options check out our product page here. Alternatively, if you have any questions our team is here to help! Reach out to us by email at sales@loosco.com or by phone at (860) 928-7981.