What are the material grades specified in jis h3300 copper alloy tube standard?

If you source seamless copper and copper alloy tube for heat exchangers, condensers, gas or water lines, or marine piping, you will eventually meet the designation JIS H 3300. This Japanese Industrial Standard, currently in its 2018 edition (with a 2019 corrigendum), defines the requirements for wrought, round, seamless copper and copper alloy pipes and tubes. The first question most procurement and engineering teams ask is simple: which material grades are actually listed in the standard, and which one should I order?

This guide walks through every alloy designation, grade and suffix that JIS H 3300 calls out, groups them by alloy family, and explains the application logic so you can match the right tube to your project. It is written for the same buyers and EPC engineers who already know us as a manufacturer of industrial metal piping and copper and copper-nickel alloy tubes.

1. Scope of JIS H 3300 at a glance

JIS H 3300:2018 covers wrought, round, seamless pipes and tubes made from copper and copper alloys. It defines:

Alloy designations, alloy numbers, grades and product class symbols (Table 1 of the standard).
Chemical composition (Table 2).
Mechanical properties in O, OL, 1/2H, H and other tempers.
Dimensional tolerances for outer diameter, wall thickness and straight length.
Mandatory and optional tests such as tensile, hardness, grain size, flaring, flattening, eddy current, hydrostatic, pneumatic, conductivity, hydrogen embrittlement, season cracking and leaching.
Marking, inspection and reporting requirements.

The 2018 revision replaced the 2012 edition. During the transition window, JIS H 3300:2012 could still be used for JIS mark certification until 21 October 2019.

2. How designations are written: alloy, grade and suffix

Every tube in the standard is identified by three layers:

Alloy number, for example C 1220 or C 7060.
Grade: common grade or special grade. Special grade tubes have tighter chemical composition limits and stricter testing than common grade.
Class symbol: T (tube) by default; TS for special grade tubes; with C appended for conductivity applications, e.g. C 1020 TSC.

A temper symbol is then added to form the full product designation, for example C 1220T-O (annealed) or C 7060T-H (hard drawn). This naming convention is what you will see on mill test certificates and in our JIS H 3300 copper alloy tube product pages.

3. The full list of material grades in JIS H 3300

Table 1 of JIS H 3300 groups the seamless tube alloys into seven families. Every alloy number listed below appears in both common grade (T) and special grade (TS) form unless noted otherwise.

3.1 Oxygen-free copper and tough pitch copper

C 1020 – Oxygen-free copper. Excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, ductility and deep drawing; immune to hydrogen embrittlement when heated in reducing atmospheres. Used for heat exchangers, electrical components and chemical industry service. Available in C 1020 T and C 1020 TS; the conductive variant is C 1020 TSC.
C 1100 – Tough pitch copper. Outstanding electrical and thermal conductivity with good drawability, corrosion resistance and weathering. Used for electrical components. Available in C 1100 T and C 1100 TS.

3.2 Phosphorus deoxidized copper

C 1201 – Phosphorus deoxidized copper. Good flaring, bending, deep drawing, weldability, corrosion resistance, weathering and thermal conductivity. Conductivity is higher than C 1220. Used for heat exchangers, chemical industry and gas piping. Available in C 1201 T and C 1201 TS.
C 1220 – Phosphorus deoxidized copper (DHP). Same processing advantages as C 1201 plus immunity to hydrogen embrittlement in reducing atmospheres. Approved for water supply and hot water service in addition to heat exchangers, chemical and gas lines. Available in C 1220 T and C 1220 TS.

3.3 High corrosion-resistant and high-strength copper

C 1260 – High corrosion-resistant copper. Same processing advantages as the deoxidized grades, with particularly strong resistance to ant-nest (formicary) corrosion. Available in C 1260 T and C 1260 TS.
C 1565 – High-strength copper. Better strength than phosphorus deoxidized copper while keeping good flaring, bending, deep drawing, weldability, corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity. Available in C 1565 T and C 1565 TS.
C 1862 – High-strength copper with particularly good heat resistance. Available in C 1862 T and C 1862 TS.
C 5010 and C 5015 – High-strength copper alloys with excellent ductility. Each is offered in T and TS grades.

3.4 Brass (Cu-Zn) – red brass, common brass and naval brass

C 2200 – Commercial bronze (90/10 red brass). Attractive color, good flaring, bending, drawability and weathering. Used for cosmetic cases, water supply/drain pipe and fittings. Available in C 2200 T and C 2200 TS.
C 2300 – Red brass (85/15). Available in C 2300 T and C 2300 TS.
C 2600 – Cartridge brass (70/30). Good flaring, bending, drawability and plating. Used for heat exchangers, curtain rails, sanitary tube, instrument parts and antennas. Available in C 2600 T and C 2600 TS.
C 2700 – Yellow brass (65/35). Available in C 2700 T and C 2700 TS.
C 2800 – Muntz metal (60/40). Higher strength than C 2600. Used for sugar refining equipment, marine parts and instrument components. Available in C 2800 T and C 2800 TS.

3.5 Admiralty brass and aluminum brass for condensers

C 4430 – Admiralty brass. Good corrosion resistance for heat exchangers.
C 6870 – Aluminum brass. Excellent seawater resistance.
C 6871 – Aluminum brass variant with improved seawater resistance.
C 6872 – Aluminum brass variant used in condenser and heat exchanger service.

All four grades are available in T and TS form. Typical applications are thermal and nuclear power plant condensers, shipboard condensers, feedwater heaters, distillers, oil coolers and desalination heat exchangers. If your project is on a marine or offshore specification, our marine and ship-building tube line covers these alloys together with copper-nickel.

3.6 Copper-nickel for condensers (cupronickel white brass)

C 7060 – 90/10 copper-nickel. Good corrosion resistance, particularly in seawater, and suitable for moderately elevated temperatures. Used for ship condensers, feedwater heaters, chemical plants and desalination units. Available in C 7060 T and C 7060 TS.
C 7100 – 80/20 copper-nickel. Available in C 7100 T and C 7100 TS.
C 7150 – 70/30 copper-nickel. Available in C 7150 T and C 7150 TS.
C 7164 – 66/30/2/2 copper-nickel-iron-manganese. The most seawater-resistant grade in the family, with added iron and manganese to resist impingement attack. Available in C 7164 T and C 7164 TS.

4. How to choose the right grade for your service

Use the family, then the alloy, then the grade, then the temper. The decision flow below covers most procurement scenarios:

Potable water, hot water or domestic gas – Choose C 1220 T (common) or C 1220 TS (special). C 1220 is the only grade in the standard that the JIS mark scheme explicitly approves for water supply and hot water service.
General heat exchanger with deoxidized copper – C 1220 in the O or OL temper is the default pick. Switch to C 1201 if higher electrical conductivity is required; switch to C 1260 if formicary corrosion has been a failure mode.
Heat exchanger exposed to reducing atmospheres at high temperature – Use C 1020 (oxygen-free copper) to avoid hydrogen embrittlement. For high pressure or high temperature service, move up to C 1565 or C 1862 in the H temper.
Seawater or marine condenser – Use the condenser brass and copper-nickel family. C 4430 covers moderate seawater service. C 6870 / C 6871 / C 6872 are aluminum brass options. For longer service life in seawater, move to C 7060 (90/10) or C 7150 (70/30); C 7164 is the most aggressive-water pick.
Decorative, plumbing or fitting components where strength matters – C 2200, C 2300, C 2600, C 2700 and C 2800 give a wide strength spectrum within the brass family, with C 2800 offering the highest strength for sugar refining, ship and machinery parts.
Electrical bus tube, wave guide or instrument tube – Specify the conductive suffix C, e.g. C 1020 TSC, and pair with eddy current and conductivity tests per the standard.

If your project also requires tubing outside the JIS system, our industrial tube portfolio covers EN 12451 seamless copper tube, ASTM B111, B466, BS 2871, GB/T 8890 and EEMUA 144 / 234 Cu-Ni pipe so the same manufacturer can supply mixed-standard packages.

5. Grade, temper and test selection made practical

Three practical points often come up in technical clarification meetings:

Common grade vs. special grade. Special grade (TS) tubes have narrower chemical composition tolerances and must pass additional tests. For nuclear, marine class or critical process service, always quote TS.
Temper choice drives dimensional tolerances. O temper has the widest forming window, H temper gives the highest strength, and 1/2H is the usual compromise for bending and flaring. Confirm the temper with your bender before finalizing the order.
Mandatory and optional tests. Annex A of JIS H 3300 lists which tests are mandatory per alloy and temper. Eddy current testing is the default non-destructive test; hydrostatic or pneumatic tests can be added by agreement, and hydrogen embrittlement testing is mandatory for grades that claim immunity in reducing atmospheres.

6. Why this matters for your procurement package

JIS H 3300 is one of the most widely accepted copper and copper alloy tube standards globally, alongside ASTM B75, B111, B466, EN 12451 and GB/T 8890. Because the alloy families, grade suffixes and temper symbols map cleanly to UNS designations, the same tube can often be dual-certified to JIS plus ASTM or JIS plus EN, which simplifies cross-border projects and spare-parts management.

As a manufacturer with three production locations and a copper-nickel inventory in Lishui, we can supply JIS H 3300 tubes in alloys from C 1020 through C 7164, in O, OL, 1/2H and H tempers, with the common (T) or special (TS) grade, and with mill test certificates that satisfy both JIS mark schemes and the project specification of your EPC. Send us your datasheet or piping class and we will return a JIS H 3300 grade recommendation, dimensional envelope and delivery plan.