1045
Medium-carbon steel with a good balance of strength, toughness and cost.
- Trait Medium carbon
- Finish Black oxide · zinc
- Typical use Shafts, axles, studs
Carbon & Alloy SteelSteel · 3 grades
High strength and hardness for shafts, gears and structural components, with heat treatment or plating as required.
- High strength
- Hardenable
- Cost-effective
- Wear-resistant
4140
Chromoly alloy: tough, fatigue-resistant and readily heat-treated.
- Trait Chromoly · tough
- Hardenable Yes
- Typical use Gears, tooling, couplings
4340
High-strength nickel-chromoly alloy for the most demanding loaded parts.
- Trait Very high strength
- Hardenable Yes
- Typical use Aerospace, heavy-duty shafts
BrassCuZn · 3 grades
Conductive and decorative, with grades suited to machined connectors, valves and fittings.
- Free-machining
- Conductive
- Decorative
- Corrosion-resistant
C360
Free-cutting brass with the best machinability of any common metal.
- Trait Best machinability
- Finish Polish · plate
- Typical use Fittings, connectors, valves
C260
Cartridge brass: ductile, strong and well-suited to forming and drawing.
- Trait Ductile
- Finish Polish
- Typical use Hardware, ammunition, decorative
C272
Yellow brass offering a good balance of strength and corrosion resistance.
- Density Balanced
- Finish Natural · plate
- Typical use Plumbing, architectural
AluminiumAl · 5 grades
Lightweight and corrosion-resistant, with grades suited to housings, brackets and structural components.
- Lightweight
- Corrosion-resistant
- Conductive
- Anodizes well
6061
The all-round structural alloy: good strength, corrosion resistance and weldability.
- Density 2.70 g/cm³
- Finish Anodize / brush
- Typical use Brackets, housings, frames, jigs
6063
Architectural grade with an excellent extruded finish and superb anodizing.
- Density 2.69 g/cm³
- Finish Bright anodize
- Typical use Trim, enclosures, profiles
7075
High-strength lightweight alloy for demanding applications
- Density 2.81 g/cm³
- Trait Very high strength
- Typical use Aerospace, tooling, high-stress
5052
Outstanding corrosion resistance and formability — the marine sheet alloy.
- Density 2.68 g/cm³
- Trait Marine-grade
- Typical use Marine, sheet parts, fuel tanks
2024
lightweight structural components, subject to customer specifications
- Density 2.78 g/cm³
- Trait Fatigue-resistant
- Typical use Aircraft structures, fittings
Stainless SteelSS · 5 grades
Corrosion-resistant, strong and hygienic — for parts that must endure moisture, chemicals or sterilization without losing integrity.
- Corrosion-resistant
- Strong
- Hygienic
- Heat-tolerant
303
Free-machining austenitic grade ideal for high-volume turned parts.
- Trait Free-machining
- Magnetic No
- Typical use Shafts, fittings, fasteners
304
The most widely used stainless: good corrosion resistance and weldability.
- Trait General purpose
- Magnetic No
- Typical use Food, general, enclosures
316
Corrosion-resistant and durable, with grades suited to parts exposed to moisture, chemicals or repeated cleaning.
- Trait Marine / medical
- Magnetic No
- Typical use Marine, medical, chemical
17-4PH
Precipitation-hardening grade combining high strength with corrosion resistance.
- Trait High strength
- Hardenable Yes
- Typical use Aerospace, valves, shafts
416
Free-machining martensitic grade that can be hardened by heat treatment.
- Trait Machinable + hard
- Magnetic Yes
- Typical use Gears, shafts, studs
CopperCu · 2 grades
High electrical and thermal conductivity for bus bars, electrodes and thermal components.
- Highest conductivity
- Thermal
- Ductile
C101
Oxygen-free copper of the highest purity and conductivity.
- Conductivity 101% IACS
- Use Critical electrical
- Typical use Bus bars, vacuum, electronics
C110
ETP copper with excellent conductivity at lower cost than C101.
- Conductivity 100% IACS
- Use General electrical
- Typical use Electrodes, conductors, contacts
TitaniumTi · 2 grades
High strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance for demanding lightweight components.
- Strength-to-weight
- Biocompatible
- Corrosion-resistant
- Heat-tolerant
Grade 2
Commercially pure titanium: corrosion-resistant, ductile and weldable.
- Trait CP titanium
- Density 4.51 g/cm³
- Typical use Marine, chemical, medical
Grade 5
Ti-6Al-4V — the workhorse alloy combining high strength and low weight.
- Trait Ti-6Al-4V
- Density 4.43 g/cm³
- Typical use aerospace-related support applications, medical instruments, motorsport components
Common questions
Materials grades FAQs
Do you provide material traceability?
Mill certs and inspection records provided where required.
Can you cross-reference international material grades?
Yes — we cross-reference common international grade systems (such as AISI, DIN, JIS) against the alloys we stock, so you can specify in whichever standard your drawing uses and we'll confirm the equivalent grade we machine.
Do you coordinate in-house surface finishes?
Yes — finishing is coordinated alongside machining so parts move from raw material to finished, inspected part under one workflow, without handing off to a separate outside vendor.
How do I choose the right material for my part — cost vs. performance?
Start with the part's function — load, corrosion exposure, temperature, or weight limits — then weigh that against machinability and raw material cost. Aluminum 6061 is usually the most cost-effective starting point for general parts, while higher-performance grades like titanium or 7075 aluminum cost more both in raw material and machining time due to lower machinability.
What does "machinability rating" mean, and why does it affect cost?
Machinability rating measures how easily a material cuts compared to a baseline steel — a higher rating means faster cutting speeds, longer tool life, and lower per-part cost. Aluminum grades typically rate well above 100%, while harder materials like titanium can drop to around 20%, meaning slower cuts, more tool wear, and higher machining cost for the same part.
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