About C932|The default bearing and bushing bronze. If someone says “bearing bronze” without specifying an alloy, they mean C932. It’s a high-lead tin bronze (83% copper, 7% tin, 7% lead, 3% zinc) designed for anti-friction applications under medium loads and speeds with lubrication. Machines well with a machinability rating around 70 — the lead content helps with chip breaking, similar to how it works in C360 brass. Used for bushings, thrust washers, pump impellers, wear strips, and light-duty gears everywhere from construction equipment to machine tools. The lead acts as a built-in lubricant at the bearing surface, which is the whole point. If you need higher load capacity, step up to
C954 aluminum bronze. If you need better corrosion resistance in marine environments, C932 is still adequate but not ideal. Most shops machine it without issues using standard tooling.
