Discover beryllium copper properties applications safety data and sourcing tips for high performance CuBe alloys.

If you work in cURL Too many subrequests., oil & gas, electronics, or plastic injection molding, you’ve probably heard that beryllium copper (CuBe) is the “king of copper alloys.”

But what actually makes C17200 / Alloy 25 so special?
Why do engineers pick beryllium copper over phosphor bronze, aluminum bronze, or tellurium copper—even when it costs more?

In this guide, you’ll quickly learn:

• The real mechanical and electrical properties that set beryllium copper apart
• When high‑strength grades (like C17200 / CuBe2) beat high‑conductivity grades (like C17510)
• How heat treatment, machining, and cURL Too many subrequests. affect performance in demanding designs
• The truth about copper beryllium safety, and how serious manufacturers manage beryllium dust and fumes
• What to check before buying from beryllium copper suppliers in China—and how a producer like vast maintains aerospace‑grade quality

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• Copper (Cu): Balance
• cURL Too many subrequests. Co, Ni, sometimes Pb, sometimes small amounts of other elements depending on grade

Main alloying elements and their roles:

• Beryllium (0.5–3%)
  • Enables precipitation hardening (age hardening)
  • Drives very high strength and hardness after heat treatment
• Cobalt / Nickel (trace–0.5%)
  • Improve strength, hardness, and thermal stability
  • Support precipitate formation during aging
• Lead (in free-machining grades)
  • Improves machinability
  • cURL Too many subrequests. C17300 for better chip breaking

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Common Beryllium Copper Grades and Designations

Below is a quick reference table for widely used beryllium copper grades in the US market:

Alloy Name	UNS	Typical Type	Key Features	Common Specs*
Alloy 25	C17200	High-strength CuBe (CuBe2)	Maximum strength, good conductivity	ASTM B194, B196, B197; AMS 4533
Alloy 10	C17510	High-conductivity CuBe	Higher conductivity, moderate strength	ASTM B441, B534; AMS 4535
Alloy 3	C17500	High-conductivity CuBe	Good strength with improved electrical/thermal	ASTM B441, B534
Free-cutting CuBe	C17300	High-strength, free-machining CuBe	Similar to C17200, better machinability	ASTM B194, B196

*Specs listed are typical; always verify against your drawing and application requirements.

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High-Strength vs High-Conductivity Grades

When you select beryllium copper, you’re usually choosing between maximum strength and cURL Too many subrequests..

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In practice:

• Choose Alloy 25 / C17200 when strength, fatigue life, and spring performance are the top priorities.
• Choose Alloy 3 / C17500 or Alloy 10 / C17510 when you need good strength plus better conductivity and heat removal in electrical and thermal paths.

Key Physical & Mechanical Properties of Beryllium Copper (CuBe)

Beryllium copper (CuBe, CuBe2, Alloy 25) is what you pick when you need copper that behaves more like a high‑end steel but still carries current and resists corrosion.

Strength & Hardness

• Ultimate tensile strength (UTS): up to 1,200–1,400 MPa (175–200 ksi) for high‑strength grades like C17200 (Alloy 25) after age hardening
• Yield strength: typically 900–1,100 MPa (130–160 ksi) in hardened tempers
• Hardness: about 36–44 HRC (Rockwell C) depending on temper
• This makes beryllium copper one of the strongest copper alloys available, ideal for high‑stress springs, connectors, and bushings where normal brass or phosphor bronze would deform.

Electrical & Thermal Conductivity

Compared with other copper alloys:

• Pure copper (100% IACS): best for pure conductivity, but soft
• Beryllium copper high‑strength (C17200): 18–30% IACS – less conductive but far stronger
• High‑conductivity grades (C17500, C17510 / Alloy 3, Alloy 10): cURL Too many subrequests. 45–60% IACS with much higher strength than pure copper
• Brass & phosphor bronze: usually 15–30% IACS
• Aluminum bronze: roughly 7–15% IACS

On the thermal side, CuBe sits below pure copper, but still has good heat conduction, cURL Too many subrequests. cURL Too many subrequests. and cURL Too many subrequests..

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• Naturally corrosion resistant in most industrial, marine, and atmospheric environments
• Non‑magnetic and non‑sparking, which is a key reason it’s used for ATEX tools, aerospace components, and sensitive sensors
• Maintains surface integrity well, which helps where wear and contact resistance are critical.

Performance at High & Low Temperatures

• Elevated temperatures: maintains strength and spring properties better than most copper alloys up to about 300–350°F (150–175°C) for continuous service, with short peaks higher depending on grade and temper
• Cryogenic temperatures: stays tough and ductile at very low temperatures; it doesn’t become brittle like some steels
• This stable performance makes beryllium copper a reliable choice for aerospace, defense, cryogenic systems, and harsh outdoor environments in the U.S. market where reliability under temperature swings is non‑negotiable.

Beryllium Copper vs Other Copper Alloys

BeCu vs Phosphor Bronze

Both are popular spring copper alloys, but they’re not in the same league for performance.

• Beryllium copper (CuBe / CuBe2, e.g., C17200)
  • Much higher strength and fatigue resistance
  • Better elasticity and stress relaxation for tight-tolerance springs and connectors
  • Higher cost, but supports miniaturization and long service life
• Phosphor bronze
  • Lower strength and hardness
  • Good for general springs, contacts, and washers
  • More cost‑effective when you don’t need max performance

If you’re designing critical connectors, high-cycle springs, or non-magnetic precision parts, beryllium copper is the better choice. For simpler spring hardware (like many of the parts paired with different washer types in assemblies), phosphor bronze usually does the job at a lower cost.

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BeCu vs Aluminum Bronze

Aluminum bronze and beryllium copper both bring strength and corrosion resistance, but they focus on different jobs.

• Beryllium copper
  • Higher strength-to-size ratio
  • Excellent electrical and thermal conductivity
  • Non-sparking and non-magnetic in most grades
  • Better for precision components: bushings, bearings, connectors, tooling inserts
• Aluminum bronze
  • Great for heavy mechanical loads, wear, and seawater exposure
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  • Much lower strength: not a true spring or high-load material

Choose tellurium copper for high-conductivity machined parts (terminals, contacts, bus bars) that don’t need extreme mechanical strength. Choose cURL Too many subrequests. when strength and fatigue life are the priority.

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When to Choose Beryllium Copper (and When to Avoid It)

Use beryllium copper when:

• You need maximum strength and fatigue life in a copper alloy
• Parts must be compact, reliable, and non-magnetic
• You’re in aerospace, defense, oil & gas, robotics, medical, or high-end electronics
• You need non-sparking tools or components for hazardous environments

Avoid beryllium copper when:

• Basic brass, phosphor bronze, or aluminum bronze can meet the load and life requirements
• You don’t need high fatigue strength or tight stress relaxation control
• Cost and simplicity are more important than peak performance

In short, beryllium copper is a premium, high-performance copper beryllium alloy. I use it when failure is not an option and when smaller, lighter parts must handle serious mechanical and electrical duty. For more general hardware and low-risk applications, cheaper copper alloys are usually the smarter move.

Beryllium Copper Applications by Industry

Aerospace & Defense

Beryllium copper (CuBe, CuBe2, Alloy 25) is a go-to high strength copper alloy in U.S. aerospace and defense because it combines steel-like strength cURL Too many subrequests. excellent conductivity and fatigue resistance. Typical uses:

• Actuators & flight control components – high fatigue strength and elastic limit keep parts stable under constant cycling.
• High-reliability connectors & terminals – consistent spring force for secure signal and power connections in harsh environments.
• Landing gear bushings & bearings – CuBe bushings handle high loads, resist wear, and stay dimensionally stable across temperature swings.

If you’re already comparing structural materials for your assemblies, our guide on strength and cost tradeoffs between aluminum and titanium is a useful side-by-side reference.

Oil & Gas / ATEX Safety Zones

In oil & gas, mining, and ATEX-rated zones, beryllium copper is valued as a non-sparking copper alloy that’s also strong and corrosion resistant:

• Non-sparking tools – hammers, wrenches, chisels, and scrapers made from copper beryllium reduce the risk of ignition in explosive atmospheres.
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• Inserts & slides – great wear resistance and hardness in high-flow, high-shear regions of the mold.
• Hot spots & thin walls – CuBe is ideal where conventional tool steels can’t remove heat quickly enough.

For mold shops dialing in surface finishes, pairing CuBe inserts with dialed-in face milling strategies and cutting parameters helps maintain both accuracy and tool life.

Medical Devices & Robotics

In medical, automation, and robotics, beryllium copper solves tricky problems where precision, cleanliness, and reliability cURL Too many subrequests.

• Surgical and dental instrument components – non-magnetic, corrosion resistant, and able to handle repeated sterilization.
• Robotic joints, springs, and flexures – high fatigue

Beryllium Copper Heat Treatment & Tempers

Solution Annealing & Age Hardening

Beryllium copper (CuBe, CuBe2, Alloy 25) gets its real strength from heat treatment, not just the base chemistry.

• Solution annealing
  • Heated to about 1450–1600°F (785–870°C), then rapidly quenched.
  • This “resets” the structure so the alloy is soft, ductile, and easy to form or machine.
  • Typical condition after solution anneal is the A / TB00 temper (fully annealed).
• Age hardening (precipitation hardening)
  • After forming/machining, parts are aged at about 550–650°F (290–345°C).
  • Fine beryllide precipitates form in the copper matrix, boosting strength and hardness.
  • Depending on grade and section thickness, age hardening usually takes 1.5–3 hours, plus heat-up and cool-down.

This two-step cycle is why CuBe is often called an age-hardened copper alloy or precipitation hardening copper.

Common Beryllium Copper Tempers

You’ll usually see beryllium copper tempers called out in standards like ASTM or AMS. The most common tempers we supply are:

• A (TB00) – Solution annealed, maximum formability, lowest strength and hardness.
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• Strength & Hardness
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    • Hardness: cURL Too many subrequests. Rockwell C 38–44 in HT temper
  • More aging (within spec) → higher strength and hardness, but less ductility.
• Electrical & Thermal Conductivity
  • Annealed tempers (A / TB00) and high-conductivity grades (C17500, C17510 / Alloy 3, Alloy 10) keep higher electrical and thermal conductivity.
  • As you push strength higher with aging, conductivity drops somewhat, but beryllium copper still sits well above most other high-strength copper alloys.

In practice, for U.S. customers, we balance this as:

• Connectors, springs, battery contacts → typically HT or mill-hardened tempers for maximum fatigue strength.
• Busbars, current-carrying parts, RF hardware → high-conductivity grades or softer tempers to keep conductivity high while still gaining decent strength.

We design and source tempers to match your process: if you need to form deep features first and age harden later, we’ll recommend solution-annealed strip or wire and a compatible in-house age-hardening cycle.

Machining and Fabrication of Beryllium Copper

Machining and fabricating beryllium copper (BeCu, CuBe, CuBe2) takes a different playbook than standard copper or brass. If you’re in the U.S. and running high‑mix, high‑precision work—connectors, springs, mold inserts—getting the process right will save tools, time, and rework.

Cutting Speeds, Tools & Coolants

For most C17200 / Alloy 25 and C17300:

• Tools
  • Use carbide inserts or end mills with sharp, positive rake geometry.
  • For drilling/tapping, go with high-speed steel (HSS) only if speeds are controlled and coolant is solid.
• Typical starting parameters
  • Turning (carbide): 250–450 SFM (75–135 m/min)
  • Milling (carbide): 300–600 SFM (90–180 m/min)
  • Drilling (HSS): 50–100 SFM (15–30 m/min)
• Coolant
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• cURL Too many subrequests. beryllium dust exposure and follow your written safety plan.

Welding, Plating & Forming Best Practices

BeCu behaves differently than standard copper alloys:

• Welding
  • Prefer resistance welding, spot welding, or laser welding for small parts.
  • Avoid uncontrolled TIG/MIG unless procedures are qualified—fumes must be captured.
• Plating
  • BeCu plates very well with nickel, tin, silver, or gold for connectors and contacts.
  • Make sure surfaces are clean, lightly etched, and oil‑free for strong adhesion.
• Forming
  • Do most forming in the annealed (A / TB00) or ¼ hard (TD01) condition.
  • After forming, use age hardening to reach final strength and spring properties.
  • Keep bend radii generous to reduce cracking, especially on high‑strength tempers.

If your BeCu parts include features like snap‑fit arms or clips, you can borrow design logic from proven snap fitting design guidelines to manage stress, deflection, and fatigue life.

EDM Machining of Beryllium Copper

EDM is common for tight‑tolerance mold cores, inserts, and slots in BeCu:

• Wire EDM
  • Excellent for complex profiles in hardened CuBe2 (C17200, Alloy 25).
  • Use standard copper or brass wire and expect good surface finish with stable cutting speeds.
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  • Works well for fine details on mold cavities and electrodes.
  • Flush aggressively; BeCu’s good conductivity helps maintain stable arcs.
• After EDM, plan for light polishing or finishing cuts to remove any recast layer on precision mold surfaces.

Handled right, copper beryllium machines cleanly, holds tight tolerances, and delivers the high strength and spring performance that regular copper alloys can’t match.

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• Scheduled air monitoring in machining and finishing areas
• Baseline and periodic medical surveillance for exposed workers
• Written beryllium safety program and training

If you’re already running precision machining for other alloys, the same discipline you use for high‑end CNC manufacturing processes applies here—just with tighter exposure controls.

Safe Handling Procedures & PPE

When machining or finishing beryllium copper, I recommend:

• Engineering controls
  • Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) at machines
  • Wet machining where possible to keep dust down
  • HEPA filtration for dry collection systems
• PPE
  • NIOSH‑approved respirator when airborne dust may be present
  • Safety glasses or face shield
  • Gloves and long sleeves to avoid skin contact with fine dust
• Housekeeping
  • No dry sweeping or compressed air blow‑off
  • Use HEPA vacuums or wet cleanup
  • Separate work clothes and designated wash areas

RoHS, REACH & Proposition 65 Compliance

Modern b

How to Source Quality Beryllium Copper Material

When you’re buying beryllium copper (CuBe) for critical parts, you can’t gamble on quality. Here’s how I’d source it in the U.S. market.

Key Certifications to Look For

Always start with the supplier’s system and industry approvals:

• cURL Too many subrequests. – proves the basic quality management system is in place. Non‑negotiable.
• cURL Too many subrequests. – if you’re in aerospace, defense, drones, or high‑reliability electronics, this is huge. It shows the supplier can handle tight specs and traceability.
• ITAR compliant – required for many U.S. defense and aerospace programs. Make sure the supplier is registered and understands export control.

If you’re building precision parts (especially those involving tight tolerances, critical holes, and datums), it’s worth working with shops that already understand high‑spec work like datum-based inspection and complex features you’d see in advanced components, similar to what’s explained in this guide on datum definition in engineering.

Mill Certificates & Third‑Party Testing

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• Suspiciously low prices vs. known U.S./EU market levels for C17200 or Alloy 25
• No clear grade labeling – just “beryllium copper” with no UNS, ASTM, or AMS designation
• Missing or generic certificates – vague PDFs with no lab info, no signature, no heat number
• Inconsistent hardness or color between lots
• Vague origin – “Asia” or “overseas” with no mill name, no location

For higher‑risk programs (aerospace, oil & gas, medical), I recommend incoming hardness and conductivity checks on each lot to catch any off‑spec or counterfeit copper beryllium alloy before it hits production.

Role of Chinese Manufacturers in the BeCu Supply Chain

Chinese mills and stockists now supply a big share of global CuBe2 / C17200 and related grades. That’s not automatically bad—but you have to qualify them hard:

• Work only with reputable mills and trading companies that can show consistent ASTM / AMS compliance.
• Require full mill certs, clear origin, and, when possible, sample testing before large orders.
• For U.S. customers, balance cost savings cURL Too many subrequests.
  • Lead time
  • Tariffs/duties
  • Communication and after‑sales support
  • Your customer’s requirements for U.S. or allied-country sourcing

For many of my U.S. clients, the sweet spot is using domestic or Tier‑1 international mills for aerospace and defense work, and then carefully vetted Chinese BeCu suppliers for cost‑sensitive parts where the risk profile is lower but quality still matters.

Beryllium Copper Product Forms & Capabilities

When I talk about beryllium copper (CuBe) products, I’m really talking about how fast and how precisely we can get you from print to parts.

Common BeCu Product Forms

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• Strip: ~0.002 in to 0.080 in thick, slit widths from 0.050 in up
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With proper machining and fixturing, I routinely hold:

• Linear tolerances: ±0.001 in (tighter on critical features if needed)
• Flatness/parallelism: controlled per print for mold and bushing applications
• Surface finish: down to Ra 0.8–1.6 µm for sealing, sliding, or contact surfaces

If you need tapped holes or intricate pockets in BeCu molds or connectors, I apply methods similar to those in this tapped holes machining guide.

Minimum Order Quantities & Lead Times

I keep things flexible for U.S. customers:

• MOQs:
  • Stock sizes: often a single bar/plate or one coil of strip
  • Custom forgings or strips: MOQs based on alloy and thickness (usually reasonable project-level quantities, not huge mill-only volumes)
• Lead times:
  • Stock cutting: 3–10 business days
  • Custom machined parts: typically 2–5 weeks depending on complexity
  • Special tempers or custom forgings: usually 6–10 weeks

If you’re up against a tight build schedule, send the print and I’ll tell you quickly what’s realistic.

Typical Use Cases & Project Types

Common beryllium copper projects I handle for U.S. customers include:

• High-cycle springs & contacts: precision strip or wire for connectors, battery contacts, and RF hardware
• Mold tooling: BeCu cores, inserts, and slides to pull heat fast in plastic injection molds
• Bushings and wear components: for aerospace, robotics, and oil & gas tools
• Non-sparking tools and safety-critical hardware: where CuBe’s strength and non-magnetic, non-sparking behavior matter

Tell me your part type (spring, contact, mold insert, bushing, connector), expected volume, and target delivery window, and I’ll match the right beryllium copper form, size, and process to hit your specs without over-spending.

Beryllium Copper FAQ (CuBe / CuBe2)

Is beryllium copper dangerous?

Solid beryllium copper (rod, bar, strip, finished parts) is generally safe to handle. The real risk comes from cURL Too many subrequests. cURL Too many subrequests.

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  • Similar Be level but includes cURL Too many subrequests. for better machinability
  • Slightly lower mechanical properties
  • Great for high-speed screw machining and tight-tolerance small parts

If you need max performance and can handle tougher machining, go with C17200. If you’re running automatic lathes and need clean chips and faster cycle times, C17300 is usually the better call.

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Can beryllium copper be used in food-contact applications?

Normally, I do not recommend beryllium copper for direct, long-term food contact, especially C17300 (because of lead). For U.S. customers:

• Check FDA and NSF requirements case by case
• Consider stainless steel or approved bronzes for food-processing equipment
• If you must use CuBe, use it as a non-contact component (springs, connectors, bushings) or with a robust, food-safe coating that won’t wear off

For guidance on safer metal options in contact with the human body, it helps to look at how materials are evaluated in fields like knee replacement implant materials.

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How long does age hardening (precipitation hardening) take?

For common high-strength grades like C17200:

• Typical age hardening:
  • 550–625 °F (290–330 °C)
  • About 2–3 hours at temperature for strip and smaller sections
• Heavy sections may need a bit longer; thin strip may be optimized with slightly different cycles

Age hardening boosts cURL Too many subrequests. but slightly reduces electrical conductivity. Many U.S. shops buy material already in cURL Too many subrequests. or similar tempers to skip in-house heat treatment.

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What is the price range of beryllium copper in 2026?

Pricing moves with copper, beryllium, energy, and export rules, but for 2026 in the U.S. market, I generally see:

• High-strength CuBe (C17200 strip, bar):
  • Rough ballpark: $25–$60+ per kg ($11–$27+ per lb), depending on form, size, and quantity
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