Brass or aluminium: which branding stamp do you need?
Aluminium for anything eaten; brass for everything else. Standard free-machining brass contains 1.6% to 3.5% lead depending on grade, so it should never touch food. Brass holds heat longer and takes finer detail, which makes it better for wood, leather and wax. Aluminium conducts heat about twice as fast, weighs about a third of the same head in brass, and has recognised European food-contact standards behind it.
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Side by side
| Aluminium | Brass | |
|---|---|---|
| Lead content | None | 1.6–2.2% (CW617N) or 2.5–3.5% (CW614N) |
| Safe against food | Yes (EN 602) | No |
| Thermal conductivity | ~205–235 W/m·K | ~110–125 W/m·K |
| Density | ~2.7 g/cm³ | ~8.4–8.5 g/cm³ |
| Heats up | Faster | Slower |
| Holds heat between marks | Shorter | Longer |
| Finest detail | Good | Better |
The heat figures explain the practical difference. Aluminium reaches working temperature quickly, which suits a grill line where the stamp goes back on the plate between orders. Brass takes longer to come up but stays hot through more presses, which suits a bench where you are marking twenty boards in a row.
How we decide for you
The order form asks what you are stamping, not which metal you want. If the answer involves food, you get aluminium; otherwise brass. It is the one choice we take off the customer, because the downside of getting it wrong is not aesthetic.