Bronze vs. Iron — What's the Difference?

Used in coins and medals.

Symbolizes strength or determination.

Resistant to corrosion.

Prone to oxidation resulting in rust.

Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (such as aluminium, manganese, nickel or zinc) and sometimes non-metals or metalloids such as arsenic, phosphorus or silicon. These additions produce a range of alloys that may be harder than copper alone, or have other useful properties, such as strength, ductility, or machinability.

Important in producing steel.

A yellowish-brown alloy of copper with up to one-third tin

Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table.

Make (a person or part of the body) suntanned

Symbol Fe A silvery-white, lustrous, malleable, ductile, magnetic or magnetizable, metallic element occurring abundantly in combined forms, notably in hematite, limonite, magnetite, and taconite, and used alloyed in a wide range of important structural materials. Atomic number 26; atomic weight 55.845; melting point 1,538°C; boiling point 2,861°C; specific gravity 7.874 (at 20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 6. See Periodic Table.

Give (something) a surface of bronze or something resembling bronze

An implement made of iron alloy or similar metal, especially a bar heated for use in branding, curling hair, or cauterizing.

Any of various alloys of copper and tin in various proportions, sometimes with traces of other metals.

Great hardness or strength; firmness

Any of various alloys of copper, with or without tin, and antimony, phosphorus, or other components.

(Sports) Any of a series of golf clubs having a bladelike metal head and numbered from one to nine in order of increasing loft.

A work of art made of one of these alloys.

A metal appliance with a handle and a weighted flat bottom, used when heated to press wrinkles from fabric.

A medal made of bronze awarded to one placing third in a competition, as in the Olympics.

A harpoon.

A moderate yellowish to olive brown.

Irons Fetters; shackles.

A pigment of this color.

A tonic, pill, or other medication containing iron and taken as a dietary supplement.

Made of or consisting of bronze.

Made of or containing iron

Of a moderate yellowish to olive brown.

Strong, healthy, and capable of great endurance

To give the color or appearance of bronze to.

Inflexible; unyielding

To make (a person or a person's skin) darker by exposure to the sun; tan.

Holding tightly; very firm

To make (a person or a person's skin) darker by the application of bronzer.

To press and smooth with a heated iron

To become bronze in color, especially by exposure to the sun or the application of bronzer

To remove (creases) by pressing.

(uncountable) A naturally occurring or man-made alloy of copper, usually in combination with tin, but also with one or more other metals.

To put into irons; fetter.

A reddish-brown colour, the colour of bronze.

To fit or clad with iron.

(countable) A work of art made of bronze, especially a sculpture.

To iron clothes.

A bronze medal.

(uncountable) A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel.

Boldness; impudence.

A metallic chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.

Made of bronze metal.

Any material, not a steel, predominantly made of elemental iron.

Having a reddish-brown colour.

(countable) A tool or appliance made of metal, which is heated and then used to transfer heat to something else; most often a thick piece of metal fitted with a handle and having a flat, roughly triangular bottom, which is heated and used to press wrinkles from clothing, and now usually containing an electrical heating apparatus.

(of the skin) Tanned; darkened as a result of exposure to the sun.

(usually plural, irons) shackles.

(transitive) To plate with bronze.

(slang) A firearm, either a long gun or a handgun.

(transitive) To color bronze; (of the sun) to tan.

(uncountable) A dark shade of the color silver.

To change to a bronze or tan colour due to exposure to the sun.

A male homosexual.

(transitive) To make hard or unfeeling; to brazen.

(golf) A golf club used for middle-distance shots.

An alloy of copper and tin, to which small proportions of other metals, especially zinc, are sometimes added. It is hard and sonorous, and is used for statues, bells, cannon, etc., the proportions of the ingredients being varied to suit the particular purposes. The varieties containing the higher proportions of tin are brittle, as in bell metal and speculum metal.

Used as a symbol of great strength or toughness, or to signify a very strong or tough material.

A statue, bust, etc., cast in bronze.

(weightlifting) Weight used as resistance for the purpose of strength training.

A yellowish or reddish brown, the color of bronze; also, a pigment or powder for imitating bronze.

A meteorite consisting primarily of metallic iron (mixed with a small amount of nickel), as opposed to one composed mainly of stony material.

Boldness; impudence; "brass."

A safety curtain in a theatre.

To give an appearance of bronze to, by a coating of bronze powder, or by other means; to make of the color of bronze; as, to bronze plaster casts; to bronze coins or medals.

Dumb bombs, those without guidance systems.

To make hard or unfeeling; to brazen.

(not comparable) Made of the metal iron.

An alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin

(figuratively) Strong as of will, inflexible.

A sculpture made of bronze

(transitive) To pass an iron over (clothing or some other item made of cloth) in order to remove creases.

Give the color and appearance of bronze to something;

To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff.

Get a tan, from wind or sun

(transitive) To furnish or arm with iron.

Of the color of bronze

The most common and most useful metallic element, being of almost universal occurrence, usually in the form of an oxide (as hematite, magnetite, etc.), or a hydrous oxide (as limonite, turgite, etc.). It is reduced on an enormous scale in three principal forms; viz., cast iron, steel, and wrought iron. Iron usually appears dark brown, from oxidation or impurity, but when pure, or on a fresh surface, is a gray or white metal. It is easily oxidized (rusted) by moisture, and is attacked by many corrosive agents. Symbol Fe (Latin Ferrum). Atomic number 26, atomic weight 55.847. Specific gravity, pure iron, 7.86; cast iron, 7.1. In magnetic properties, it is superior to all other substances.

Made from or consisting of bronze

An instrument or utensil made of iron; - chiefly in composition; as, a flatiron, a smoothing iron, etc.

An alloy primarily made of copper and tin.

Fetters; chains; handcuffs; manacles.

Having a brownish-yellow color.

Strength; power; firmness; inflexibility; as, to rule with a rod of iron.

Associated with third place in competitions.

An iron-headed club with a deep face, chiefly used in making approaches, lifting a ball over hazards, etc.

Of, or made of iron; consisting of iron; as, an iron bar, dust.

Resembling iron in color; as, iron blackness.

Like iron in hardness, strength, impenetrability, power of endurance, insensibility, etc.;

Rude; hard; harsh; severe.

Firm; robust; enduring; as, an iron constitution.

Inflexible; unrelenting; as, an iron will.

Not to be broken; holding or binding fast; tenacious.

To smooth with an instrument of iron; especially, to smooth, as cloth, with a heated flatiron; - sometimes used with out.

To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff.

To furnish or arm with iron; as, to iron a wagon.

A heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood

A golf club that has a relatively narrow metal head

Metal shackles; for hands or legs

Implement used to brand live stock

Home appliance consisting of a flat metal base that is heated and used to smooth cloth

Press and smooth with a heated iron;

Extremely robust;

A strong, grayish-white metal element.

Used for pressing clothes to remove wrinkles.

Bronze has a distinct hue and is corrosion-resistant, making it ideal for medals.

No, bronze is primarily copper and tin, while brass is copper and zinc.

Iron oxidizes when exposed to moisture, resulting in rust.

Iron is generally stronger and harder than bronze.

Yes, iron is vital for blood production in the human body.

No, bronze is an alloy, typically of copper and tin.

Iron is strong and abundant, making it crucial for building structures.

Yes, the Bronze Age preceded the Iron Age in human civilization.

No, iron is susceptible to rust when exposed to moisture.

Yes, iron has magnetic properties.

The combination of copper and tin gives bronze its characteristic brownish-yellow hue.

Yes, iron has been used in various artistic endeavors, from sculptures to architecture.

Yes, the properties of bronze can vary based on its constituent elements.

Bronze is malleable, corrosion-resistant, and has a pleasing aesthetic, making it ideal for sculptures.

Iron, as a base for steel, drives various industries, impacting economies globally.