Britannia metal

American  

Or britannia metal

noun

1. a white alloy of tin, antimony, and copper in varying proportions, sometimes with small amounts of zinc, lead, and bismuth, used for tableware and as an antifriction material.

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Britannia metal British  

noun

1. an alloy of low melting point consisting of tin with 5–10 per cent antimony, 1–3 per cent copper, and sometimes small quantities of zinc, lead, or bismuth: used for decorative purposes and for bearings

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Etymology

Origin of Britannia metal

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Within a few years the academy switched to a lighter tin-based alloy known as Britannia metal, plated in layers of copper, nickel silver and gold.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

“I believe you they dread him. Not but what he’s artful, even in his defiance of them. No silver, sir. Britannia metal, every spoon.”

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Meantime, however, somebody as understood such things explained to young Drake that the stuff unearthed was not pewter, nor yet Britannia metal neither, but old Sheffield plate, and worth plenty of good money at that.

From Humorous Ghost Stories by Scarborough, Dorothy

Beside cutlery and Sheffield plate, Britannia metal, and other similar ornamental and domestic articles, a good deal of heavy ironware is made in Sheffield. 

From Rides on Railways by Sidney, Samuel

The same styles prevailed both in Sheffield plate and in Britannia metal, often misnamed pewter.

From Chats on Household Curios by Burgess, Fred. W. (Frederick William)