A copper base alloy consisting essentially of tin in an amount from about 0.1 to about 1.5% by weight, phosphorous in an amount from about 0.01 to about 0.35% by weight, iron in an amount from about 0.01 to about 0.8% by weight, zinc in an amount from about 1.0 to about 15% by weight, and the balance essentially copper, including phosphide particles uniformly distributed throughout the matrix, is described. The alloy is characterized by an excellent combination of physical properties. The process of forming the copper base alloy described herein includes casting, homogenizing, rolling, process annealing and stress relief annealing.