Millions of Consumable Products for the Aerospace Industry

Brass and Stainless Steel in Aerospace

While aluminum and titanium make up most of an airplane's frame, brass and stainless steel are used throughout various aircraft systems. Brass is easy to machine, conducts electricity well, resists abrasion, and offers excellent corrosion protection. Common brass items include bushings, bearings, fittings, valves, and electrical components.

Because it supports heavy loads and performs in extreme environments and at high temperatures, stainless steel suits fasteners, landing gear parts, actuator mechanism parts, hydraulic tubing and lines, engine parts, exhaust systems, and structural supports and fittings. Type 316 stainless steel, for example, includes molybdenum, which improves resistance to chloride attack compared to type 304. Precipitation-hardening stainless steels require heat treatment to achieve their required tensile strength.

Brass and Copper Alloys

Jaco supplies brass and copper alloys in a range of designations, including high-copper 100-series alloys, lead-free machining brasses, naval and architectural bronzes, and 600–900-series wrought, cast, and bearing alloys. Common aerospace alloys include:

Brass Grades We Stock

Stainless Steel Grades

Jaco supplies a range of stainless steels, including austenitic (300 series), martensitic (400 series), ferritic (400 series), duplex, and precipitation-hardening (PH) grades.

Austenitic (300 Series)

Austenitic stainless steels such as 304, 316, 321, and 347 provide excellent corrosion resistance, toughness, and formability, and are commonly used in tubing, ducting, exhaust components, clamps, and brackets. Types 321 and 347 are stabilized to perform well at elevated temperatures, making them ideal for exhaust systems and engine compartments.

Martensitic and Ferritic (400 Series)

Martensitic grades in the 400 series can be heat treated to develop additional strength and wear resistance. Examples include 410, 416, 420, and 440C, often used for shafts, valve components, bearings, and cutting tools. Ferritic grade 430 offers good corrosion resistance at a lower price point than many other grades, making it suitable for general-purpose hardware.

Precipitation-Hardening (PH) Grades

PH stainless steel's combination of high strength and excellent corrosion resistance makes it very popular in aerospace. 17-4PH (Type 630) is often selected for fittings, shafts, actuators, and structural components. 15-5PH (XM-12) is a variation in the same family with improved toughness and transverse properties, making it ideal for many critical aerospace applications. Both can be produced using VAR (Vacuum Arc Remelted) or ESR (Electro Slag Remelted) processes.

13-8Mo (XM-13) offers toughness and stress-corrosion resistance and is used for landing gear parts, structural fittings, and highly stressed parts. 17-7PH is a semi-austenitic PH material with high strength and good spring characteristics, useful in sheet, strip, and springs. Custom 455 and Custom 465 are high-performance PH materials designed for applications that require strength and toughness, used in fasteners, actuation hardware, and landing gear parts.

Duplex and Specialty Grades

Duplex and specialty grades are used in specific applications. 2205 duplex stainless steel has excellent tensile properties and good resistance to chloride stress corrosion cracking. The A286 iron-based superalloy maintains high strength at elevated temperatures and is often selected for high-temperature fasteners and engine components. Alloy 20 has excellent resistance to sulfuric acid and many other corrosives.

Melt Practice and Heat-Treat Condition

Melt practice affects how well stainless steel performs in critical aerospace components. Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) and Electro Slag Remelting (ESR) are refining processes that remelt the metal to eliminate contaminants from the previous melt. They can also improve fatigue life and transverse properties.

Aerospace drawings may call for VAR or ESR quality material for PH grades like 15-5PH and 13-8Mo. These grades are typically supplied solution treated (Condition A) and aged at specific times and temperatures to provide the desired properties. Common conditions include H900, H1025, and H1150, which offer varying degrees of strength, toughness, and susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking.

Forms Available

Jaco Aerospace supplies stainless steel and brass in a range of product forms:

• Coil, sheet, and strip
• Plate
• Round, square, hex, and flat bar
• Billet
• Pipe and tubing
• Rings
• Forgings

Availability varies by grade. Our team can confirm which forms are available for your grade before you place an order.

Specifications

Jaco can supply brass and stainless steel products that meet aerospace material specifications (AMS), industry standards, and OEM specifications. These include AMS specifications for stainless and heat-resistant steels, ASTM standards for precipitation-hardening stainless bars and shapes, and Boeing and Douglas material specifications. Send us the specification listed on your drawing, and we'll provide pricing and availability.

Stainless Steel Grades, Forms, and Specifications We Stock

Applications Across the Aircraft

Aircraft use brass and stainless steel in landing gear, flight control and actuation systems, hydraulic and fuel systems, engines, exhaust systems, and electrical systems. Examples include PH stainless steel and aluminum bronze bushings in landing gear; stainless shafts, rods, and fittings in flight control systems; and stainless tubing and fittings in hydraulic and fuel systems. Heat-resistant stainless steel or A286 is required for most engine and exhaust parts. High-copper alloys are typically used in electrical terminal connections and ground hardware. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) also use both stainless steel and brass in fittings, fasteners, and precision parts.

Jaco supplies materials to aircraft manufacturers, machine shops, MROs, airline overhaul facilities, OEMs, drone manufacturers, military operators, government agencies, and private aircraft owners.

Quality and Certification

Jaco Aerospace sells new, non-surplus items directly from authorized mills and manufacturers. Each order includes a Certificate of Conformance (CoC), manufacturer certifications, and documentation showing where the material was made. Your receiving inspector can use this documentation to verify materials on arrival, confirming the correct material reached your shop or repair facility and supporting your quality audits.