ASTM B138/B138M-11(2017)

Standard Specification for Manganese Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes

ABSTRACT
This specification establishes the requirements for rods, bars, and shapes of manganese bronze with Copper Alloy UNS Nos. C67000, C67500, and C67600. The materials for manufacture shall be cast billets of such purity and soundness as to be suitable for processing by hot working (extrusion, forging, or rolling) to produce a uniform wrought structure in the finished product. Tempers available under this specification are O60 (soft anneal temper), M20 (as hot rolled temper), M30 (as hot extruded temper), H02 (half-hard temper), and H04 (hard temper). Products shall be tested (including by residual stress test and ammonia vapor test) and shall adhere to dimensional (diameter, width, thickness, shape, length, straightness, and edge contour), mechanical (tensile and yield strength, and elongation), and chemical composition requirements.
SCOPE
1.1 This specification establishes the requirements for manganese bronze rod, bar and shapes produced in Copper Alloy UNS Nos. C67000, C67500, or C67600.  
1.2 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units or SI units are to be regarded separately in the standard. Within the text, the SI values are shown in brackets. The values stated in each system of units may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in nonconformance with the standard.  
1.3 Warning—Mercury has been designated by many regulatory agencies as a hazardous material that can cause serious medical issues. Mercury, or its vapor, has been demonstrated to be hazardous to health and corrosive to materials. Caution should be taken when handling mercury and mercury containing products. See the applicable product Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for additional information. Users should be aware that selling mercury and/or mercury containing products into your state or country may be prohibited by law.
Note 1: Product suitable for hot forging applications is available under Specification B124/B124M.  
1.4 The following safety hazard caveat pertains only to the Performance Requirements section of this specification.  
1.4.1 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 31-Mar-2017
• ICS: 77.150.30 - Copper products
• Technical Committee: B05 - Copper and Copper Alloys
• Drafting Committee: B05.02 - Rod, Bar, Wire, Shapes and Forgings

Relations

• Replaces: ASTM B138/B138M-11 - Standard Specification for Manganese Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes
• Effective Date: 01-Apr-2017
• Replaces: ASTM B138M-96 - Standard Specification for Manganese Bronze Rod, Bar and Shapes [Metric] (Withdrawn 2001)
• Effective Date: 01-Jan-1996
• Refers: ASTM E8/E8M-24 - Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials
• Effective Date: 01-Jan-2024
• Refers: ASTM B249/B249M-23 - Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wrought Copper and Copper-Alloy Rod, Bar, Shapes and Forgings
• Effective Date: 01-Oct-2023
• Refers: ASTM B124/B124M-20 - Standard Specification for Copper and Copper Alloy Forging Rod, Bar, and Shapes
• Effective Date: 01-Apr-2020
• Refers: ASTM B249/B249M-19a - Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wrought Copper and Copper-Alloy Rod, Bar, Shapes and Forgings
• Effective Date: 01-Oct-2019
• Refers: ASTM B124/B124M-19a - Standard Specification for Copper and Copper Alloy Forging Rod, Bar, and Shapes
• Effective Date: 01-Oct-2019
• Refers: ASTM B124/B124M-19 - Standard Specification for Copper and Copper Alloy Forging Rod, Bar, and Shapes
• Effective Date: 01-Apr-2019
• Refers: ASTM B249/B249M-19 - Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wrought Copper and Copper-Alloy Rod, Bar, Shapes and Forgings
• Effective Date: 01-Apr-2019
• Refers: ASTM B249/B249M-18a - Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wrought Copper and Copper-Alloy Rod, Bar, Shapes and Forgings
• Effective Date: 01-Oct-2018
• Refers: ASTM B124/B124M-18a - Standard Specification for Copper and Copper Alloy Forging Rod, Bar, and Shapes
• Effective Date: 01-Oct-2018
• Refers: ASTM B124/B124M-18 - Standard Specification for Copper and Copper Alloy Forging Rod, Bar, and Shapes
• Effective Date: 15-Mar-2018
• Refers: ASTM B858-06(2018) - Standard Test Method for Ammonia Vapor Test for Determining Susceptibility to Stress Corrosion Cracking in Copper Alloys
• Effective Date: 01-Mar-2018
• Refers: ASTM B249/B249M-18 - Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wrought Copper and Copper-Alloy Rod, Bar, Shapes and Forgings
• Effective Date: 01-Mar-2018
• Refers: ASTM B249/B249M-17 - Standard Specification for General Requirements for Wrought Copper and Copper-Alloy Rod, Bar, Shapes and Forgings
• Effective Date: 01-Apr-2017

Overview

ASTM B138/B138M-11(2017): Standard Specification for Manganese Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes is an internationally recognized standard developed by ASTM International. This specification outlines the requirements for manganese bronze products in the forms of rods, bars, and shapes, specifically for copper alloy UNS Nos. C67000, C67500, and C67600. The standard covers dimensions, chemical composition, mechanical properties, testing methods, and ordering guidance to ensure quality and consistency for manufacturers, suppliers, and end-users in industries where manganese bronze is applied.

Key Topics

• Material and Manufacture

  • Products must be produced from cast billets of specified copper alloys, ensuring purity and soundness.
  • Hot working processes such as extrusion, forging, or rolling are required to create a uniform wrought structure.
  • Finished products may be cold worked, annealed, or straightened to achieve specified tempers and mechanical properties.

• Tempers Available

  • O60: Soft anneal temper
  • M20: As hot-rolled temper
  • M30: As hot-extruded temper
  • H02: Half-hard temper
  • H04: Hard temper

• Chemical Composition

  • Chemical requirements are detailed for each UNS alloy, including limits for copper, tin, lead, zinc, iron, aluminum, and manganese.
  • Products must meet compositional standards to ensure proper performance and corrosion resistance.

• Mechanical Properties

  • Specifies tensile and yield strength, as well as elongation requirements, for different tempers and shapes.
  • Allows properties to be verified using standardized test methods.

• Dimensional Requirements

  • Strict tolerances for diameter, width, thickness, shape, length, straightness, and edge contours.
  • Conformance with specifications ensures interchangeability and reliability in application.

• Testing and Performance

  • Residual stress testing, ammonia vapor testing, and mercurous nitrate testing are referenced to detect susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking.
  • Products are subject to additional performance and quality assurance tests as specified in purchase orders.

Applications

Manganese bronze rods, bars, and shapes specified by ASTM B138/B138M are widely used in:

• Marine hardware: Thanks to excellent resistance to corrosion and high strength, these products are ideal for marine components such as propellers, shafts, and fittings.
• Industrial machinery: Used for heavy-duty mechanical parts, gears, bushings, and bearing components due to their toughness and machinability.
• Aerospace and defense: Selected for structural and engineering applications requiring durability in demanding environments.
• Automotive and transportation: Employed in critical moving parts, piston rods, and high-stress connectors.

These copper alloys provide a balance of strength, corrosion resistance, and workability, making them a preferred choice in various demanding industries.

Related Standards

For product selection and compliance, it is often important to reference related ASTM standards, including:

• ASTM B124/B124M: Specification for copper and copper alloy forging rod, bar, and shapes, suitable for hot forging applications.
• ASTM B249/B249M: General requirements for wrought copper and copper-alloy rods, bars, shapes, and forgings, including dimensional and mechanical inspection criteria.
• ASTM B154: Test method for mercurous nitrate testing of copper alloys, assessing susceptibility to season cracking.
• ASTM B858: Ammonia vapor testing for determining stress corrosion cracking susceptibility in copper alloys.
• ASTM E8/E8M: Test methods for tension testing of metallic materials, standardizing mechanical property evaluations.

Practical Value

ASTM B138/B138M-11(2017) ensures that manganese bronze products meet stringent quality, performance, and safety criteria. By adhering to this standard, manufacturers and users guarantee that their materials are fit for demanding applications, reduce the risk of failure, and comply with international trade and safety regulations. This supports reliability and competitiveness in global markets while enabling the use of manganese bronze in critical, high-performance settings.

Standards Content (Sample)

This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation: B138/B138M −11 (Reapproved 2017)
Standard Specification for
Manganese Bronze Rod, Bar, and Shapes
This standard is issued under the fixed designation B138/B138M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year
of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.
A superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope* 2. Referenced Documents
1.1 This specification establishes the requirements for man- 2.1 ASTM Standards:
ganese bronze rod, bar and shapes produced in Copper Alloy B124/B124M Specification for Copper and Copper Alloy
Forging Rod, Bar, and Shapes
UNS Nos. C67000, C67500, or C67600.
B154 Test Method for Mercurous Nitrate Test for Copper
1.2 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units or SI units
Alloys
are to be regarded separately in the standard. Within the text,
B249/B249M Specification for General Requirements for
the SI values are shown in brackets. The values stated in each
Wrought Copper and Copper-Alloy Rod, Bar, Shapes and
system of units may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each
Forgings
system shall be used independently of the other. Combining
B858 Test Method forAmmoniaVaporTest for Determining
values from the two systems may result in nonconformance
Susceptibility to Stress Corrosion Cracking in Copper
with the standard.
Alloys
1.3 Warning—Mercury has been designated by many regu-
E8/E8M Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Ma-
latory agencies as a hazardous material that can cause serious
terials
medical issues. Mercury, or its vapor, has been demonstrated to
E54 Test Methods for ChemicalAnalysis of Special Brasses
be hazardous to health and corrosive to materials. Caution
and Bronzes (Withdrawn 2002)
should be taken when handling mercury and mercury contain-
E62 Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Copper and
ing products. See the applicable product Safety Data Sheet
CopperAlloys (Photometric Methods) (Withdrawn 2010)
(SDS) for additional information. Users should be aware that
E478 Test Methods for ChemicalAnalysis of CopperAlloys
selling mercury and/or mercury containing products into your
state or country may be prohibited by law.
3. General Requirements
3.1 The following sections of Specification B249/B249M
NOTE1—Productsuitableforhotforgingapplicationsisavailableunder
Specification B124/B124M.
constitute a part of this specification:
3.1.1 Terminology,
1.4 The following safety hazard caveat pertains only to the
3.1.2 Materials and Manufacture,
Performance Requirements section of this specification.
3.1.3 Workmanship, Finish and Appearance,
1.4.1 This standard does not purport to address all of the
3.1.4 Sampling,
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
3.1.5 Number of Tests and Retests,
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
3.1.6 Specimen Preparation,
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
3.1.7 Test Methods,
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
3.1.8 Significance of Numerical Limits,
1.5 This international standard was developed in accor-
3.1.9 Inspection,
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
3.1.10 Rejection and Rehearing,
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
3.1.11 Certification,
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
3.1.12 Test Report,
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
3.1.13 Packaging and Package Marking, and
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
3.1.14 Supplementary Requirements.
1 2
ThisspecificationisunderthejurisdictionofASTMCommitteeB05onCopper For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
and CopperAlloys and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee B05.02 on Rod, contact ASTM Customer Service at [e-mail]. For Annual Book of ASTM
Bar, Wire, Shapes and Forgings. Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
Current edition approved April 1, 2017. Published April 2017. Originally the ASTM website.
approvedin1941.Lastpreviouseditionapprovedin2011asB138/B138M-11.DOI: The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on
10.1520/B0138_B0138M-11R17. www.astm.org.
*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
B138/B138M − 11 (2017)
TABLE 1 Chemical Requirements
3.2 In addition, when a section with a title identical to one
of those referenced in 3.1 above, appears in this specification, Element, % Copper Alloy UNS No.
it contains additional requirements which supplement those C67000 C67500 C67600
A
appearing in Specification B249/B249M. Copper 63.0–68.0 57.0–60.0 57.0–60.0
Tin 0.50 max 0.50–1.5 0.50–1.5
Lead 0.20 max 0.20 max 0.50–1.0
4. Ordering Information
Zinc remainder remainder remainder
4.1 Include the following when placing orders for product
Iron 2.0–4.0 0.8–2.0 0.40–1.3
Aluminum 3.0–6.0 0.25 max . . .
under this specification, as applicable:
Manganese 2.5–5.0 0.05–0.50 0.05–0.50
4.1.1 ASTM designation and year of issue,
A
Includes silver.
4.1.2 Copper Alloy UNS No. designation (for example,
C67000),
4.1.3 Temper,
4.1.4 Form of product (for example, round, hexagonal),
6.2.1 When all elements in Table 1 are determined, the sum
4.1.5 Dimensions (for example, diameter, distance between
of results shall be 99.5 % min.
parallel surfaces, width, thickness),
4.1.6 Tolerances for shapes,
7. Temper
4.1.7 Edge contours,
7.1 The standard tempers for products described in this
4.1.8 Length,
specification are given in Tables 2 and 3.
4.1.9 Quantity (total weight, footage or number of pieces),
7.1.1 Soft Anneal Temper (O60),
4.2 The following options are available and should be
7.1.2 As Hot Rolled Temper (M20),
specified at the time of placing the order when required:
7.1.3 As Hot Extruded Temper (M30),
4.2.1 Piston finish (Performance Requirements section),
7.1.4 Half-Hard Temper (H02), and
4.2.2 Residual stress test (Performance Requirements
7.1.5 Hard Temper (H04).
section),
4.2.2.1 Ammonia Vapor Test or Mercurous Nitrate Test,
8. Mechanical Property Requirements
4.2.2.2 For Ammonia Vapor Test, pH value other than 10.
8.1 Tensile Requirements:
4.2.3 Certification (Specification B249/B249M),
8.1.1 Product furnished under this specification shall con-
4.2.4 Mill Test Report (Specification B249/B249M), and
form to the tensile requirements prescribed in Table 2 or Table
4.2.5 If product is purchased for agencies of the U.S.
3 when tested in accordance with Test Methods E8/E8M.
Government (see Other Requirements section).
9. Performance Requirements
5. Material and Manufacture
9.1 Residual Stress Test:
5.1 Material—The material of manufacture shall be cast
9.1.1 When specified in the contract or purchase order, the
billets of CopperAlloy UNS No. C67000, C67500, or C67600
product shall be tested for residual stress according to the
as specified in the ordering information, and shall be of such
requirements of Test Method B154 or Test Method B858 and
purity and soundness as to be suitable for hot working.
show no signs of cracking. (Warning—Mercury is a definite
5.2 Manufacture:
health hazard. With the mercurous nitrate test, equipment for
5.2.1 The product shall be manufactured by hot working
the detection and removal of mercury vapor produced in
(extrusion, forging, or rolling) to produce a uniform wrought
volatilizationisrecommended.Theuseofprotectiveglovesfor
structure in the finished product.
this test is recommended.)
5.2.2 The product shall be finished by such cold working,
9.1.2 When the ammonia vapor test is used, the test pH
annealing, and straightening as may be necessary to achieve
value appropriate for the intended application shall be 10
the temper properties specified.
unless otherwise specified by the purchaser.
NOTE 2—Aresidual stress test provides information about the adequacy
6. Chemical Composition
of the stress relief of the material. Bar straightening is a method of
6.1 The material shall conform to the chemical composition mechanical stress relief. Stress relief annealing is a method of thermal
stre
...