It is a zinc based die cast metal. Many of the newer ones are die cast. I think technology and cost got to where the companies switched. 99% of consumers don't care anyway. Always great to get an older brass one. Aluminum is too reactive to water and will corrode out. Stainless isn't normally cast and is not machineable enough for mass production. The brass/copper layers are normally for the chrome plating process. Sometimes, depending on how they are set up internally, for instance the faucet will prob have a brass tube to the spigot while the handles or cover plate will be just die cast, the yard will buy them for brass breakage. It all depends on the component construction. Most faucets aren't terrible to take apart.
While we are at it, I've seen a few comments on here and heard some on the street along the lines of "If I never learn what something really is, then it's ok to just throw it in the bucket I think it should be in"...I'm not ok with that personally. It's pretty unethical to me. It's ok to learn and ask questions. Sure, you might be disappointed. But probably just once. You won't keep thinking "wow this is a brass faucet" everytime only to have the yard burst your bubble. You will know to have tempered expectations and maybe get lucky. Frankly, if you learn, you can sometimes find things that are MORE valuable than you think. Those old coffee pots from the perculator days....just stainless right? WRONG. I've gotten more than one that looks as chromed out as 99% of the stainless ones only to file and find out it was copper...
By the way, the resell on faucets, unless you just come across something incredibly vintage or TOP of the line is just awful. Sort of frustrating when you consider how much they cost...but, I guess it's like HVAC units...they know you only buy them a few times in your life at most, so got to keep the workers employed and the factory open somehow.
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