Brass is common non-ferrous metal, soft and malleable. it is an alloy made of copper and zinc, the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. As a wire mesh, the most commonly available brass woven wire mesh is referred to as “#65 brass” which consists of approximately 65% copper, 35% zinc. “#70 brass” consists of 70% copper and 30% zinc is also a popular in the mesh industry, particularly on custom manufactured items.

The presence of zinc in brass woven wire mesh is important that it provides added abrasion resistance and allows for higher tensile strengths; it also hardens the mesh, compared to its softer copper woven wire mesh counterpart, and because brass is not magnetic, brass wire mesh is commonly used in filtration and separation applications, and it is used to fabricate filter discs, especially in instances when electrical conductivity is not critical.