Every hot-forged brass body starts as EN 12165 stock. What the standard covers, how it hands over to EN 12420, and why CW617N owns this territory.
EN 12165 is the European standard for copper-alloy forging stock — the material before it enters the forge.
EN 12165 covers the wrought or unwrought forging stock — rods, hollow rods, bars, profiles, billets — from which closed-die hot forgings are produced. It specifies the permitted compositions, property requirements and dimensional tolerances of the material before it enters the forge.
The forgings themselves are covered by the sister standard EN 12420; rod destined straight for the lathe is EN 12164. Current edition: EN 12165:2024.
Same alloy, different route: CW617N rod for turning is EN 12164; CW617N billet for the forge is EN 12165.
From our hot-forging alloy guide — the grades a partner forge actually sees, with typical forging-temperature windows.
| Alloy | Hot forgeability | Forging temp. | Lead | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CW617N · CuZn40Pb2 | Excellent | 650–820°C | 1.6–2.2% | Valve bodies, plumbing fittings, manifolds — the primary forging grade worldwide |
| C37700 · forging brass | Excellent | 650–815°C | 1.5–2.5% | US-spec forgings (ASTM B283); EN equivalent of CW612N |
| CW614N · CuZn39Pb3 | Excellent | 625–725°C | 2.2–3.5% | Forgings where post-forge CNC finish quality is critical |
| CW602N · CuZn36Pb2As | Good | 700–800°C | 1.7–2.8% | DZR water fittings — resists dezincification per ISO 6509-1 |
| CW724R · CuZn21Si3P | Good | 650–825°C | lead-free | Lead-free valve bodies and fittings; DZR + RoHS programmes |
| CW510L · CuZn42 | Good | 650–800°C | ≤0.2% (no lead added) | Forging without lead addition where DZR is not needed; order Pb ≤0.10% heats for RoHS without Exemption 6(c) |
At 57–59% copper with about 40% zinc, CW617N carries an alpha–beta structure that becomes highly plastic above about 650°C — flowing into complex die cavities under press forces of 1,000–5,000 tonnes and filling thin webs a pure alpha brass would refuse.
Its 1.6–2.2% lead acts as a hot lubricant in the die — easing fill, extending die life — and then does its usual chip-breaking job on the machining line (machinability ~90 on the copper-alloy scale). Hot workability and machinability in one alloy is the whole trick.
| Factor | Hot forging (EN 12165 → EN 12420) | Machining from bar (EN 12164) |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Complex bodies, asymmetric shapes, thin webs, large flanges | Rotational parts; geometry limited by bar envelope |
| Integrity | Grain flow follows the contour — 15–30% higher fatigue strength; no internal voids | Wrought bar quality; grain runs axially through the part |
| Material use | 85–95% yield (near-net shape); flash recycled | Envelope machining — swarf-heavy on bulky shapes (recycled) |
| Tooling | Die investment up front; pays back with volume | No dies — right for prototypes and small series |
| Volume logic | Wins on medium-to-high volume of chunky parts | Wins on small-to-medium volume and slender turned parts |
Hot forging runs at qualified partner forges to our die designs and quality plan; every blank returns to Jamnagar for CNC finish machining and inspection. We do not cast. Components — not finished valves — with the EN 10204 3.1 batch analysis on every shipment.
Discuss a Forged Part Hot Forging CapabilityThis standard touches most of what we make. Jump straight to the products, alloys, sectors and guides it applies to.
Quotation typically within 24 hours — forge-vs-bar recommendation included.
Brassland manufactures brass turned parts and CNC machined components to your drawing in Jamnagar, India, including precision turned brass components on 28+ Swiss-type lathes, with an EN 10204 3.1 certificate on every shipment.
Dedicated reference pages with full value tables, diagrams and honest limits — one standard per page.