About C360|The gold standard for machinability. Literally. C360 is rated at 100% on the machinability scale — it’s the benchmark everything else is measured against. The lead content (2.5–3.7%) is what makes it work, producing short, broken chips at high speeds with minimal tool wear. You can run it fast, feed it hard, and your inserts will last forever compared to steel. Screw machine shops live on this stuff. Fittings, valves, sensor bodies, gears, and anything that comes off an automatic lathe in high volume. Coolant is optional — some shops run it dry to avoid staining the
brass. Compared to 12L14 steel (its main competitor for screw machine work), C360 is actually cheaper per finished part despite higher material cost because cycle times are dramatically lower. Not weldable, and the lead content means it’s not food/water safe under current regulations.
