Different special brass (e.g. CuZn37Mn3Al2PbSi) and bronze alloys (e.g. CuPb15Sn) are well known for use in oil-hydraulics having in common to be alloyed with lead. The lead content of special brass alloys in this use ranges from 0.1 to 2.0 mass-%. Some bronze alloys provide even much higher contents of lead of 10 to 15 mass-%. Typically, lead is considered for improvement of machinability or castability. Beyond this purpose lead in brass and bronze alloys affects many more properties of manufacturing and application. During the shaping of the parts by means of hot or cold forming often the materials are strained close to their limits. Thanks to lead cracking is prevented during this process. Lead is also of great importance for the improvement of tribological systems. The surfaces of these systems are exposed to friction and wear. Lead is incorporated in the surface layers and supports the tribological system in their running-in process to achieve a steady state of friction and wear. Above all lead is unique because it forms no solid solution with copper or brass and forms no compounds with other typical copper alloying elements. The feasibility assessment of elements in order to substitute lead in brass or bronze alloys has to be done for each alloy and application individually. In oil-hydraulic applications as bushings, slippers or distributor plates, lead-free alloys must fulfil different profiles of requirements, depending on the conditions of manufacturing and application. The requirements do not only include mechanical strength, formability and thermal strength, but also fatigue strength, low friction and high wear resistance and lubricant compatibility. Consequently, the substitution of lead in brass and bronze alloys for application in oil-hydraulics is a challenging task. This does not only apply for the requirements for machining and forming, but particularly for the need of the new alloys to function under wear, friction and corrosion. Examples are given for how these challenges of new lead-free special brass alloys can be met in bushings (machining, friction properties), slippers (forming, strength) and distributor plates (fatigue strength) for axial piston pumps. Further on, new lead-free special brass alloys for contact with environmentally compatible lubricants are presented. All these examples show that there is not the one and only lead-free alloy for applications in oil-hydraulics. In fact, every application requires a different alloy which is composed and processed individually to meet the specific demands.