Abstract: In order to investigate the influence of different doping elements on the machinability of brass alloys, five types of doped brass alloys were prepared: 2%Sn brass, 0.5% Sn brass, Sn-Fe brass, Pb brass, and Si brass. Their microstructure, mechanical properties, and machinability were compared with H59 brass. The results indicate that the cutting performance of tin-brass with 2% (mass fraction) Sn is superior to that of Sn brass with 0.5% (mass fraction) Sn. Sn-Fe and Pb-brasses exhibit excellent cutting abilities and chip-breaking properties due to the presence of second phase particles dispersed along their grain boundaries. The ranking order for cutting forces among these six types of brasses is as follows: 0.5% Sn brass > 2% Sn brass > Sn-Fe brass > Si brass > H59 brass > Pb brass; while Pb-brass demonstrates good machinability but poor mechanical strength, Si-brass exhibits both good machinability and improved mechanical strength.