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

If I had I should have known better than to lend my moral support to a good-for-nothing, tarnished, ill-regulated, mendacious piece of Britannia metal, that chooses to call itself a silver watch.

From The Adventures of a Three-Guinea Watch by Reed, Talbot Baines

Tin forms an important part of many alloys such as babbitt, Britannia metal, bronze, gun metal and bearing metals.

From Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting Electric, Forge and Thermit Welding together with related methods and materials used in metal working and the oxygen process for removal of carbon by Manly, Harold P. (Harold Phillips)

There is an excellent substitute called Britannia metal, very much liked at the Adelphi and elsewhere.

From Oscar Wilde, His Life and Confessions Volume 2 by Harris, Frank