Bronze vs Coppered Nails: When to Use Each

This is a question that has been coming up often for me lately. I’m assuming it’s because the fall is weatherstripping season when it comes to windows and doors. Makes sense. Nobody wants a drafty house in the winter.

When you’re installing metal weatherstripping it invariably involves nailing it in place rather than the cheapo foam weatherstripping you find at home stores. But when you nail it in place what kind of nails should you use? Bronze nails or coppered nails?

The answer is clear even if they both look exactly the same. Knowing the difference is incredibly important to a successful installation that can last 100 years or more. Let’s get you some answers!

When to Use Coppered Nails

If you’re like a lot of people you may have read that name as “copper” nails, but that’s not correct. The word is actually “coppered”. What’s the difference? A big one. These nails are not made of copper. They are made of steel and then coated with copper.

A solid copper nail, as small as these, would be impossible to nail because copper is such a soft (malleable) metal. So metal workers in the past devised a system to get the look and corrosion resistance of copper nails with the strength and affordability of steel nails by coating their steel nails in enough copper to provide protection. The result is coppered nails.

This is similar to the hot-dipped galvanized nails you can find at home stores. It provides extra protection against the elements.

For most installations of bronze weatherstripping like spring bronze, V-bronze, or bronze interlocking weatherstripping you can use coppered nails. They are more affordable and easier to install due to their strength than bronze nails.

When to Use Bronze Nails

Bronze nails are exactly what they sound like, nails made of solid bronze. Bronze can be up to three times harder than copper which means it can be made into a nail that won’t deform when hand nailed through wood. It depends on the alloy of bronze you are working with that determines the actual hardness.

Bronze nails are considerably more expensive than coppered nails because, well, bronze ain’t cheap compared to steel which makes up the majority of the nail body on coppered nails.

Bronze nails are also considerably softer than their coppered cousins which equates to about 30% more curse words, smashed thumbs, and bent nails when nailing them in place. Especially when nailing into solid old-growth wood.

So why would you ever pay more for a more frustrating nail? Because bronze nails won’t ever rust. Over time the copper coating on coppered nails can wear off. In coastal locations with a lot of salt spray in the air bronze nails are the only option. Coppered nails rust quickly in these conditions leaving you with only bronze as an acceptable option.

What is considered a “coastal location”? In my experience anything within 15 miles of the ocean can safely be considered coastal and bronze nails should be used. If you’re further than 15 miles from the coast you can get away with coppered nails in most cases.

Pro Tip: Since bronze nails are so soft, pre-drilling is almost always necessary. I use a 1/16” drill bit to go through both the metal and wood to make the job easier.

I hope this provides a little clarity for you on when to use bronze vs coppered nails. Hopefully, I saved you a little trouble and a little money. Good luck and happy weatherstripping!