{"id":1783,"date":"2026-10-19T23:12:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T15:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topbrakeparts.com\/?p=1783"},"modified":"2026-10-21T14:59:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T06:59:51","slug":"dusuk-metalik-fren-balatasi-nedir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topbrakeparts.com\/tr\/what-are-low-metallic-brake-pads\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u00fc\u015f\u00fck metalik fren balatas\u0131 nedir? Avantajlar\u0131, dezavantajlar\u0131 & en uygun kullan\u0131m alanlar\u0131"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Low-metallic brake pads are disc brake pads whose friction material contains a small share of steel fiber or iron powder\u2014less than about 30% steel fiber by mass\u2014combined with non-ferrous metals, abrasives, carbon and sulfide lubricants. They were developed in the 1970s mainly for European cars. They give strong bite, good fade resistance and stable high-speed braking, at the cost of more wheel dust, faster pad and rotor wear and higher noise potential.<\/p>\n

For a repair shop, that trade-off decides whether a European brake job comes back with a dust or noise complaint. For an auto parts store or distributor, it decides which friction line to stock for which part numbers. This guide explains what low-metallic pads are, how they perform, how they compare with ceramic and semi-metallic pads, how copper rules apply to them, and what to check before you order them by the carton.<\/p>\n

Our Qingyuan factory runs low-metallic pads alongside its ceramic and semi-metallic lines, and every low-metallic formula we produce is copper-free; the formulation trials and project targets quoted below are our own.<\/p>\n

Low-Metallic Brake Pads: The Short Version<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Question<\/th>\nShort answer<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
What are they?<\/td>\nResin-bonded pads with less than about 30% steel fiber by mass, plus non-ferrous metals, abrasives and lubricants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Friction level<\/td>\nHigh: \u03bc about 0.38\u20130.50 (Akebono OE friction classes)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main strengths<\/td>\nStrong initial bite, confident pedal feel, good fade and high-speed performance<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main weaknesses<\/td>\nMore wheel dust, higher pad and rotor wear, more noise potential than ceramic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Typical vehicles<\/td>\nEuropean passenger cars and vehicles driven at sustained high speed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
vs ceramic<\/td>\nCeramic is cleaner and quieter; low-metallic bites harder and holds friction better when hot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
vs semi-metallic<\/td>\nSemi-metallic carries more steel (30\u201360%); low-metallic carries less but runs a higher friction level<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Copper<\/td>\nDepends on the formula\u2014ask for the copper level; ours are copper-free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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01<\/span><\/p>\n

What Are Low-Metallic Brake Pads?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Low-metallic brake pads are a friction material family that sits between ceramic (NAO) and semi-metallic pads. They contain some steel fiber and\/or iron powder\u2014less than about 30% steel fiber by mass\u2014plus non-ferrous metals, organic and inorganic fibers, aggressive abrasives and a high share of carbon and sulfide lubricants. The metal content raises friction and heat stability; the lower steel share keeps weight and rust lower than in semi-metallic pads.<\/p>\n

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What “Low-Metallic” Means: Metal Content Compared<\/h3>\n
\"Low-metallic
Low-metallic friction surface: less steel fiber than a semi-metallic pad, but a higher friction level<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Low-metallic” describes how much steel is in the friction material, not how much metal in total. Friction engineers classify disc pad materials mainly by their steel fiber content. A brake pad patent granted to Resonac (formerly Showa Denko Materials) in 2021, US10927913B2<\/a>, puts the classification this way: semi-metallic materials contain 30 to 60 mass % steel fiber, low-steel materials contain less than 30 mass %, and NAO materials contain no steel fiber.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Friction family<\/th>\nSteel fiber content<\/th>\nTypical friction level (\u03bc)<\/th>\nCommon aftermarket name<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Semi-metallic<\/td>\n30\u201360% by mass<\/td>\n0.28\u20130.38<\/td>\nSemi-met, metallic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Low-metallic (low-steel)<\/td>\nLess than 30% by mass<\/td>\n0.38\u20130.50<\/td>\nLow-met, low-steel, European formula<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NAO (non-asbestos organic)<\/td>\nNone<\/td>\n0.33\u20130.40<\/td>\nCeramic, organic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Steel content: US10927913B2. Friction ranges: Akebono, “OE Friction Material Requirements for North America,” 2007.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two points surprise many buyers. First, a low-metallic pad usually runs a higher<\/strong> friction level than a semi-metallic pad, even though it contains less steel. Second, “metallic” in the name says nothing about copper\u2014copper is a non-ferrous metal and is controlled separately, as explained later in this guide.<\/p>\n

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What Goes Into a Low-Metallic Formula<\/h3>\n

According to Akebono’s OE friction material training document, low-metallic formulas typically contain ferrous and non-ferrous metals, inorganic and organic fibers, aggressive abrasives, and large amounts of carbonaceous and sulfide lubricants. In practice, a low-metallic recipe is built from these groups:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Material group<\/th>\nCommon examples<\/th>\nWhat it does in a low-metallic pad<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Ferrous metals<\/td>\nSteel fiber, iron powder<\/td>\nRaise friction, conduct heat, reinforce the friction block<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Non-ferrous metals<\/td>\nVaries by formula<\/td>\nFriction stability and heat transfer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fibers<\/td>\nAramid, mineral fibers<\/td>\nToughness and crack resistance<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Abrasives<\/td>\nAlumina, zirconium silicate and similar<\/td>\nClean the rotor surface and raise friction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lubricants<\/td>\nGraphite, coke, metal sulfides<\/td>\nStabilize friction, control wear and noise<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Binder and fillers<\/td>\nPhenolic resin, barium sulfate, mica<\/td>\nHold the material together, control density<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

The ratio between abrasives and lubricants is where low-metallic formulas differ most from each other. More abrasive content gives sharper bite and a cleaner rotor surface; more lubricant content smooths friction and reduces noise. That balance is the main thing a supplier adjusts when a low-metallic pad is too noisy or too dusty for a market.<\/p>\n

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Why Low-Metallic Pads Are Linked to European Cars<\/h3>\n

Low-metallic friction was developed in the 1970s, mainly for European applications. European driving puts a premium on sustained high-speed braking, and a high, stable friction level at speed was the design goal. The Resonac patent notes that Europe frequently used low-steel materials to keep the friction coefficient during high-speed braking, while European use of NAO materials, which produce less wheel dirt and squeal, has been increasing in recent years.<\/p>\n

That history explains a common parts-counter request: owners of European cars fitted with low-metallic pads see heavy wheel dust and ask for “a cleaner pad” at replacement time.<\/p>\n

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How Akebono Classifies OE Friction Materials<\/p>\n

Akebono’s training document “OE Friction Material Requirements for North America<\/a>” (2007) describes low-metallics as developed in the 1970s, mainly for European applications, with higher friction levels of \u03bc 0.38\u20130.50<\/span>. It lists their characteristics as good pedal feel and braking confidence, good fade and high-speed performance, high pad and rotor wear, lots of wheel dust, a “corrective” wearing action that can true up the rotor over time, and inferior noise and life.<\/p>\n

For comparison, the same document gives semi-metallics a friction range of \u03bc 0.28\u20130.38<\/span> and NAOs \u03bc 0.33\u20130.40<\/span>, and notes that NAOs are often called “ceramic” formulations in the aftermarket.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Low-Met”, “Low-Steel” and “Low-Metallic NAO”: Labels at the Parts Counter<\/h3>\n

Catalogs use several names for the same family and a few names that sound similar but are not:<\/p>\n