Copper-based materials have historically been of great technical relevance for several millennia. Due to the global structural change in the areas of digitalization, energy supply and mobility, the importance of copper-based materials is constantly increasing. This applies in particular to CuZn-alloys (brass), which are characterized by very good electrical conductivity and generally good machining properties. As machining is one of the most important value-added processes for many brass products, the machining properties of these materials are highly relevant. In order to achieve good machining properties, the element lead with mass contents of up to mPb = 4 % was added to CuZn- alloys in the past. The cost-effective and efficient machinability of these materials is offset by the harmful effects of the element lead on the environment and health. For this reason, the maximum permissible lead content in metallic alloys has been increasingly reduced in recent years by statutory regulations and the affected industries will soon be dependent on lead-free alternative alloys. While lead-free CuZn-alloys generally retain their outstanding application properties, their machinability and therefore also their cost-effectiveness in mass production can be classified as significantly worse. Non-breaking, long chips and high process forces are the result, which is why more and more approaches are being researched to optimize the machinability of lead-free CuZn-alloys. In the past a large number of studies have already been carried out to optimize the machinability of lead-free CuZn-alloys. While the machinability depends on the properties of the material as well as the selected process parameters and process boundary conditions, most studies have focused on optimizing machinability on the process side. For example, there is a large number of research papers that have dealt with the tool and process design for turning, drilling or milling of lead-free CuZn-alloys. Consequently, there is a broad knowledge of how to adapt tools and processes for the machining of existing lead-free CuZn-alloys. A major consists in the material-side machinability optimization of lead-free CuZn-alloys, where the potential has so far been insufficiently exploited. As preliminary work shows, in addition to the chemical composition, the mechanical properties and the microstructure of the material also have a major influence on the machinability of CuZn-alloys. As a result, there is great potential in designing the semi-finished product production route in a targeted manner so that the machining properties are significantly improved. However, it is not known which combination of mechanical properties and microstructure has a positive influence on machinability and what the material production route should look like for optimized machining properties. In this work, the influence of the material production route (pressing, wire drawing, heat treatment) on the mechanical and microstructural properties as well as the machinability is to be analyzed by a systematic variation of the alloy CuZn42 (CW510L). The resulting findings on the cause-and-effect relationships between the material production route, microstructural properties and machinability of this material create a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of action and thus a basis for a knowledge-based design of the material production route. Knowledge of these underlying cause-and-effect relationships would enable a more targeted design of lead-free alternative materials in future.