Brass wires start out as a continuously cast 20mm diameter rod. This rod is either cold rolled or cold drawn until it is approximately either a 6mm round or hex cross-section. The wire is then annealed and drawn through a series of dies until it is approximately .9mm diameter. In this state, it is commonly called “re-draw” wire. The re-draw wire is subsequently drawn through another series of diamond dies until it is the final size. At final size, the wire is resistively annealed or thermally tempered in an inert atmosphere, cleaned, and then spooled.