C63000 Aluminum Bronze and Its Equivalent Alternatives: Comprehensive Performance and Cost Evaluation

1. Introduction

C63000 aluminum bronze is a premium copper-based alloy recognized for its exceptional mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and performance in demanding applications. This comprehensive analysis examines C63000 alongside its potential equivalent alternatives, providing procurement specialists, engineers, and materials selection professionals with detailed comparisons of chemical composition, mechanical properties, manufacturing considerations, and cost-performance ratios. This guide aims to facilitate informed decision-making when sourcing materials for critical applications in aerospace, marine, oil and gas, and heavy industrial sectors.

2. C63000 Aluminum Bronze: Baseline Specifications

Table 1: Chemical Composition of C63000 Aluminum Bronze (%)

Al	Mit	Fe	Pb	Mn	Ni	Und
9.0-11.0	Rem.	2,0-4,0	0.02 max	1,5 max	4,0-5,5	0.25 max
10.0*	81.25*	3.0*	–	1.0*	4.5*	0.25*

*Nominal values

Table 2: Mechanical Properties of C63000 Aluminum Bronze

Eigentum	Wert	Einheit
Zerreißfestigkeit	690-860	MPa
Streckgrenze	380-450	MPa
Verlängerung	6-15	%
oder Rundstab oder flach	170-240	oder Rundstab oder flach
Dichte	7.6	g/cm³
Elastizitätsmodul	117	GPa
Wärmeleitfähigkeit	38	W/m·K
Der Wärmeausdehnungskoeffizient	16.0	μm/m·K
Elektrische Leitfähigkeit	6	% IACS

3. Direct Equivalent Alternatives to C63000

3.1 International Standard Equivalents

Table 3: International Standards Equivalents for C63000

Land	Standard	Bezeichnung	Equivalence Level
Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika	ASTHMA	UNS C63000	Reference
Europa	AN	CuAl10Ni5Fe4	Hoch
Deutschland	VON	CuAl10Fe5Ni5	Hoch
Vereinigtes Königreich	BS	CA104	Mittelhoch
Japan	JIS	CAC704	Mittel
China	wo das Material anfängt, dünner zu werden und wie Toffee zu ziehen	QAl10-5-5	Hoch
MEK4	GOST	BrAZhNFe 10-5-5	Mittelhoch
International	wo das Material anfängt, dünner zu werden und wie Toffee zu ziehen	CuAl10Fe5Ni5	Hoch

3.2 Chemical Composition Comparison

Table 4: Chemical Composition Comparison of C63000 and Its Direct Equivalents (%)

Legierung	Standard	Al	Mit	Fe	Pb	Mn	Ni	Und	Andere
C63000	ASTHMA	9.0-11.0	Rem.	2,0-4,0	0.02 max	1,5 max	4,0-5,5	0.25 max	–
CuAl10Ni5Fe4	AN	8.5-10.5	Rem.	3,0-5,0	0.02 max	0.5-2.5	4.0-6.0	0.1 max	Zn≤0.5
CA104	BS	9.0-11.0	Rem.	2,0-4,0	0.01 max	1,0-2,0	4.0-6.0	0.2 max	Zn≤0.5
CAC704	JIS	9.0-11.0	Rem.	2,0-4,0	00,05 max	1,0-2,0	4.0-6.0	0.3 max	–
QAl10-5-5	wo das Material anfängt, dünner zu werden und wie Toffee zu ziehen	9.0-11.0	Rem.	4,0-5,5	0.01 max	0.5-1.5	4.5-6.0	0.2 max	–

3.3 Mechanical Properties Comparison

Table 5: Mechanical Properties Comparison of C63000 and Direct Equivalents

Legierung	Zugfestigkeit (MPa)	Streckgrenze (MPa)	Dehnung (%)	Härte (HB)
C63000 (ASTM)	690-860	380-450	6-15	170-240
CuAl10Ni5Fe4 (EN)	650-830	350-420	8-15	160-220
CA104 (BS)	680-840	360-430	7-15	170-230
CAC704 (JIS)	650-820	350-420	6-12	170-220
QAl10-5-5 (GB)	680-850	370-440	7-14	170-230

4. Alternative Material Categories

4.1 Other Aluminum Bronze Grades

Table 6: Alternative Aluminum Bronze Grades Comparison

Legierung	UNS#	Al (%)	Hauptunterschiede	Relative Kosten	Leistungsbewertung
C63200	C63200	8,7-9,5	Lower Al, better ductility	95%	Hoch
C63020	C63020	10.0-11.5	Higher Al, increased hardness	105%	Sehr hoch
C62300	C62300	8.5-10.0	Lower Ni, reduced strength	85%	Mittelhoch
C95400	C95400	10.0-11.5	No Ni, lower corrosion resistance	80%	Mittel
C95500	C95500	10.0-11.5	Contains Ni, similar strength	90%	Hoch

4.2 Nickel Aluminum Bronze Alternatives

Table 7: Nickel Aluminum Bronze Alternatives

Legierung	UNS#	Key Composition	Schlüsseleigenschaften	Cost Ratio to C63000	Best Applications
C95800	C95800	Cu-9Al-4Fe-4Ni	Higher corrosion resistance	110%	Marine propellers, valves
C95700	C95700	Cu-12Al-6Fe-2Ni	Höhere Festigkeit, geringere Duktilität	105%	Heavy-duty bearings
C95900	C95900	Cu-12Al-6Ni-2.5Fe	Hervorragende Verschleißfestigkeit	115%	Aircraft landing gear parts

4.3 Non-Aluminum Bronze Alternatives

Table 8: Non-Aluminum Bronze Alternative Materials

Material Category	Example Alloy	Key Properties Comparison	Cost Ratio	Compatibility
Phosphorbronze	C52400	Lower strength, better electrical conductivity	70%	Niedrigmedium
Manganese Bronze	C86300	Similar strength, lower corrosion resistance	75%	Mittel
Silicon Bronze	C87300	Better machinability, lower wear resistance	80%	Mittel
Berylliumkupfer	C17200	Higher strength, excellent spring properties	170%	Mittel
Nickel-Silver	C75200	Lower strength, good corrosion resistance	85%	Niedrig

4.4 Non-Copper Based Alternatives

Table 9: Non-Copper Based Alternative Materials

Material Category	Example Grade	Comparative Performance	Cost Ratio	Application Overlap
Rostfreier Stahl	17-4PH	Higher strength, lower friction	70%	Mittelhoch
Nickellegierungen	Inconel 625	Superior corrosion resistance, higher cost	180 %	High for marine
Titanium Alloys	Ti-6Al-4V	Higher strength-to-weight, much higher cost	300%	Mittel
Duplex Stainless	2205	Good corrosion resistance, lower cost	80%	Mittel
Composite Bearings	PTFE/Bronze	Low friction, limited load capacity	65%	Niedrig

5. Cost-Performance Analysis

5.1 Relative Material Cost Index

Table 10: Relative Material Cost Index (C63000 = 100)

Material	Rohstoffkosten	Bearbeitungskosten	Total Cost Index	Cost Trend (2-Year)
C63000	100	100	100	Stable
CuAl10Ni5Fe4 (EN)	95-105	95-105	95-105	Stable
C63200	90-100	95-105	92-102	Stable
C95400	75-85	90-100	80-90	Slight decrease
C95800	105-115	100-110	103-113	Increasing
17-4PH SS	65-75	75-85	68-78	Volatile
Inconel 625	170-190	150-170	160-180	Increasing
Ti-6Al-4V	280-320	150-170	240-270	Volatile

5.2 Performance Rating by Application

Table 11: Performance Rating by Application (1-10 scale, 10=best)

Material	Luft- und Raumfahrt	Marine	Oil & Gas	Heavy Machinery	Overall Value Rating
C63000	9	8	8	9	8.5
CuAl10Ni5Fe4	8	8	8	9	8.3
C63200	8	9	8	9	8.5
C95400	6	7	7	8	7.0
C95800	8	9	9	8	8.5
17-4PH SS	9	7	8	8	8,0
Inconel 625	9	9	9	7	8.5
Ti-6Al-4V	10	8	7	6	7.8

6. Manufacturing Considerations

6.1 Processability Comparison

Table 12: Manufacturing Process Suitability (1-10 scale, 10=excellent)

Material	Sandguss	Schleuderguss	Feinguss	Bearbeitbarkeit	Schweißbarkeit	Heat Treatment Response
C63000	8	9	8	6	5	9
CuAl10Ni5Fe4	8	9	8	6	5	9
C63200	9	9	8	7	6	8
C95400	8	9	7	6	5	7
C95800	8	9	7	6	6	7
17-4PH SS	6	7	8	5	8	9
Inconel 625	5	6	7	4	8	7
Ti-6Al-4V	4	5	7	3	7	8

6.2 Supply Chain Considerations

Table 13: Supply Chain Factors

Material	Global Availability	Lead Time (weeks)	Supplier Diversity	Price Stability	Recyclingfähigkeit
C63000	Hoch	5-7	Hoch	Mittel	Hoch
CuAl10Ni5Fe4	Hoch	5-7	Hoch	Mittel	Hoch
C63200	Hoch	4-6	Hoch	Mittel	Hoch
C95400	Hoch	3-5	Hoch	Mittel	Hoch
C95800	Mittelhoch	5-8	Mittel	Niedrigmedium	Hoch
17-4PH SS	Sehr hoch	2-4	Sehr hoch	Mittel	Hoch
Inconel 625	Mittel	8-12	Mittel	Niedrig	Mittel
Ti-6Al-4V	Mittel	10-14	Mittel	Niedrig	Mittel

7. Application-Specific Equivalence

Table 14: Recommended Alternatives by Application

Anwendung	First Choice	Second Choice	Third Choice	Key Selection Factor
Aerospace bearings	C63000	C63020	Ti-6Al-4V	Strength-to-weight
Marine shafts	C63000	C95800	Inconel 625	Korrosionsbeständigkeit
Oil & gas valves	C63000	C95800	17-4PH	Pressure capacity
Heavy machinery gears	C63000	C63200	17-4PH	Verschleißfestigkeit
High-temp applications	C63000	Inconel 625	C95800	Temperature stability
Structural components	C63000	C63200	17-4PH	Fatigue resistance
Befestigungselemente	C63000	17-4PH	Ti-6Al-4V	Stärke
Bushings and bearings	C63000	C63200	C95400	Load capacity

8. Selection Methodology for Equivalent Materials

Table 15: Decision Matrix for Material Selection

Selection Factor	Gewicht	C63000	CuAl10Ni5Fe4	C63200	17-4PH SS	C95800	Inconel 625
Mechanical strength	25 %	9	8	8	9	8	9
Korrosionsbeständigkeit	20 %	8	8	8	7	9	10
Verschleißfestigkeit	15 %	9	8	9	7	8	7
Kosteneffizienz	15 %	7	7	7	8	6	4
Bearbeitbarkeit	10 %	6	6	7	5	6	4
Verfügbarkeit	10 %	8	8	8	9	7	6
Schweißbarkeit	5 %	5	5	6	8	6	8
Weighted Score	100 %	8.05	7.65	7.90	7.70	7.65	7.40

9. Regional Market Availability and Pricing Trends

Table 16: Regional Availability and Price Variations

Region	C63000 Availability	Price Index	Leading Suppliers	Import Considerations
North America	Hoch	100	Copper & Brass Fabricators Council members	Domestic supply robust
Europa	Hoch	105-110	KME, Wieland, Aurubis	EU material certifications
China	Mittelhoch	85-95	Ningbo, Shanghai copper alloy suppliers	Quality verification needed
Japan	Mittel	110-120	JX Nippon Mining, Mitsubishi Materials	High quality, premium price
wo das Material anfängt, dünner zu werden und wie Toffee zu ziehen	Mittel	90-100	Hindustan Copper, regional foundries	Variable quality
Middle East	Niedrigmedium	115-125	Mostly imported	Import duties, lead times
C45 ist ein mittelfester Stahl mit guter Bearbeitbarkeit und hervorragenden Zugfestigkeitseigenschaften	Mittel	110-120	Regional distributors	Transport costs factor

Table 17: Five-Year Price Trend Analysis (Index: 2020=100)

Ø = Dicke bzw. Drahtdurchmesser in mm	C63000	C63200	C95800	17-4PH SS	Copper Index	Nickel Index
2020	100	100	100	100	100	100
2021	118	116	122	108	125	135
2022	132	128	138	116	135	150
2023	128	125	135	120	130	145
2024	125	122	130	115	128	140
2025*	120	118	128	118	125	138

*Projected values

10. Conclusion and Procurement Recommendations

C63000 aluminum bronze offers exceptional performance in demanding applications requiring high strength, good corrosion resistance, and wear properties. The most direct equivalent alternatives are found in the European standard CuAl10Ni5Fe4 and the Chinese standard QAl10-5-5, which offer very similar performance characteristics with minimal cost variations.

C63200 presents an excellent alternative with slightly better machinability and similar mechanical properties at a comparable or slightly lower cost. For applications with extreme corrosion requirements, particularly in marine environments, C95800 nickel aluminum bronze may justify its 5-10% higher cost through superior performance and longevity.

For procurement professionals, the following strategic recommendations apply:

Develop relationships with multiple suppliers across different regions to mitigate supply chain risks
Always request material certification documentation to verify composition and properties
Consider total cost of ownership including maintenance and replacement frequency, not just initial material cost
For non-critical applications, evaluate 17-4PH stainless steel as a potential cost-saving alternative
Monitor copper and nickel commodity prices, as these significantly impact aluminum bronze costs
Maintain safety stock of critical components during periods of price volatility or supply constraints
Develop standardized material substitution protocols for emergency situations

By carefully evaluating the equivalence factors presented in this analysis, procurement specialists and engineers can make informed decisions when selecting alternatives to C63000 aluminum bronze, balancing performance requirements with cost considerations and supply chain resilience.