This table lists relevant EN Standards and the nearest equivalent old BS Standard.
EN Standards for Copper Alloys
| Product Form | EN Standard | Old BS Standard |
|---|---|---|
Free Machining Rod | 12164 | 2874 |
Plate | 1652, 1653 | 2875 Pt 3 |
Sheet, Strip & Foil | 1172, 1652, 1653, 1654 | 2870 |
Tube - Water, Gas, Sanitation | 1057 | 2871 Pt 1 |
Tube - General Purpose | 12449 | 2871 Pt 2 |
Tube - Heat Exchangers | 12451 | 2871 Pt 3 |
Copper Rod & Bar - Electrical Uses | 13601 | 1433 |
High Conductivity Copper (Oxygen Free) | 13604 | 2901 |
Converting Old BS Alloy to EN Alloy
| Old BS Alloy | EN Alloy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
C101 | CR004A | |
C104 | CR008A | |
C106 | CR024A | |
CZ106 | CW505L | |
CZ108 | CW508L | |
CZ112 | CW712R | Naval Brass |
CZ114 | CW721R & CW722R | High Tensile Brass/Manganese Bronze |
CZ121 | CW614N | Free Machining Brass |
CZ130 | CW624N | |
CZ131 | CW606N | Riveting Quality Brass |
CA104 | CW307G | Aluminium Bronze |
PB102 | CW451K | Phosphor Bronze |
EN Alloys Numbering System
The system uses 6 characters.
- The first character is a C for Copper-based alloys.
- The second character is a letter from the table below.
- The third, fourth and fifth characters comprise a 3-digit number, which with a sixth character (a letter) indicate the alloy group.
These number series and corresponding letters are also shown in the table below. An example is CW614N.
EN Alloys Numbering System
| Character/Digits | Key |
|---|---|
B | Ingot for Re-Melting to Produce Cast Products |
C | Cast Products |
F | Filler Materials for Brazing and Welding |
M | Master Alloys |
R | Refined Unwrought Copper |
S | Scrap |
W | Wrought Products |
X | Non-Standardised Materials |
000 to 099 A or B | Pure Copper |
100 to 199 C or D | Copper Alloys with less than 5% added elements |
200 to 299 E or F | Miscellaneous Copper Alloys with more than 5% added elements |
300 to 349 G | Copper-Aluminium Alloys |
350-399 H | Copper-Nickel Alloys (Cupro-Nickel) |
400-499 J | Copper-Nickel-Zinc Alloys |
450-499 K | Copper-Tin Alloys |
500 to 599 L or M | Copper-Zinc Alloys - Binary |
600 to 699 N or P | Copper-Zinc-Lead Alloys |
700 to 799 R or S | Copper-Zinc Alloys - Complex |
Diameter Tolerances
Free Machining Rod
| Diameter (mm) | Tolerance (mm) - Class A |
|---|---|
Over 2.0 to 3.0 | -0/+0.04 |
Over 3.0 to 6.0 | +0/-0.05 |
Over 6.0 to 10.0 | +0/-0.06 |
Over 10.0 to 18.0 | +0/-0.07 |
Over 18.0 to 30.0 | +0/-0.08 |
Over 30.0 to 50.0 | +0/-0.16 |
Over 50.0 to 80.0 | +0/-0.19 |
These tolerances are extracted from EN 12164: 2011 (E). For full details, please refer to the complete standard.
General Purpose Tube
| O/D (mm) | Tolerance +/- on Mean Diameter | Tolerance +/- on Mean Diameter |
|---|---|---|
Over 3 to 10 | 0.06 | 0.12 |
Over 10 to 20 | 0.08 | 0.16 |
Over 20 to 30 | 0.12 | 0.24 |
Over 30 to 50 | 0.15 | 0.30 |
Over 50 to 100 | 0.20 | 0.50 |
Over 100 to 200 | 0.50 | 1.00 |
Over 200 to 300 | 0.75 | 1.50 |
Over 300 to 450 | 1.00 | 2.00 |
These tolerances are extracted from EN 12449: 1999. Tolerances shown are in mm plus or minus (+ or -)
Tolerances in column 2 are applicable to the mean diameter.
Tolerances in column 3 are applicable to any diameter and have a number of exclusions including coiled tubes and annealed tubes.
For full detail please refer to the complete standard.
Heat Exchanger Tube
| O/D (mm) | Tolerance (mm) |
|---|---|
6 to 14 | +0/-0.12 |
Over 14 to 26 | +0/-0.20 |
Over 26 to 76 | +0/-0.30 |
These tolerances are extracted from EN 12451: 1999.
For full detail please refer to the complete standard.
Width Tolerances
Free Machining Hexagon - Width Across Flats Tolerance
| Width Across Flats (mm) | Tolerance (mm) |
|---|---|
Over 2.0 to 3.0 | +0/-0.06 |
Over 3.0 to 6.0 | +0/-0.08 |
Over 6.0 to 10.0 | +0/-0.09 |
Over 10.0 to 18.0 | +0/-0.11 |
Over 18.0 to 30.0 | +0/-0.13 |
Over 30.0 to 50.0 | +0/-0.16 |
Over 50.0 to 60.0 | +0/-0.19 |
These tolerances are extracted from EN 12164: 2011 (E). For full details, please refer to the complete standard.
Thickness Tolerances
Hot Rolled Plate
| Thickness (mm) | Tolerances (mm) +/- |
|---|---|
Up to 2.5 | By Agreement |
Over 2.5 to 5.0 | 0.35 |
Over 5.0 to 7.5 | 0.45 |
Over 7.5 to 10.0 | 0.55 |
Over 10.0 to 15.0 | 0.90 |
Over 15.0 to 25.0 | 1.30 |
Over 25.0 to 50.0 | 1.50 |
Over 50.0 | 1.80 |
These tolerances are extracted from EN 1652: 1997. They apply to plates of width 1000mm to 1500mm only. Note that wider tolerances apply for some alloys including CW702R.
For full details please refer to the complete standard.
Cold Rolled Sheet & Strip
| Thickness (mm) | Tolerances (mm) +/- |
|---|---|
Over 0.3 to 0.4 | 0.07 |
Over 0.4 to 0.5 | 0.08 |
Over 0.5 to 0.8 | 0.09 |
Over 0.8 to 1.2 | 0.10 |
Over 1.2 to 1.8 | 0.11 |
Over 1.8 to 2.5 | 0.13 |
Over 2.5 to 3.2 | 0.17 |
Over 3.2 to 4.0 | 0.20 |
Over 4.0 to 5.0 | 0.23 |
Over 5.0 to 6.0 | 0.26 |
Over 6.0 to 7.0 | 0.29 |
Over 7.0 to 8.0 | 0.32 |
Over 8.0 to 9.0 | 0.35 |
Over 9.0 to 10.0 | 0.38 |
These tolerances are extracted from EN 1652: 1997. They apply to sheets of width 1000mm to 1250mm only.
Note that wider tolerances (multiply those below by 1.250) apply for some alloys, including CW702R.
For full details please refer to the complete standard.
Wall Thickness Tolerances
General Purpose Tube
| O/D (mm) | t 0.3 to 1.0 | t 1.01 to 3.0 | t 3.01 to 6.0 | t 6.01 to 10.0 | t 10.0 and Over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.0 to 40.0 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | - |
40.01 to 120.0 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
120.1 to 250.0 | - | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
250.1 to 450.0 | - | - | 15 | 15 | 15 |
These tolerances are extracted from EN 12449: 1999.
In the header of columns 2 to 6: t is the nominal wall thickness in mm. In the rest of columns 2 to 6 is the tolerance plus or minus (+ or -) in mm.
For full details please refer to the complete standard.
