•Relatively higher density was achieved for hot pressed Cu and Cu-15Al alloy.•The hardness of Cu was significantly improved with the addition of Al.•Drastic reduction in corrosion of Cu with addition of 15 wt% Al.•The formation of protective layer improved corrosion resistance of Cu-15Al alloy. Higher density of 98.66 and 94.60% ρth (theoretical density) was achieved for hot pressed Cu and Cu-15Al alloy, respectively. The microstructure of Cu-15Al alloy consists of α (Cu0.78Al0.22) and γ2 (Cu9Al4) phases. The hardness of Cu was significantly improved (from 1.32 to 6.03 GPa) with the addition of Al. Drastic reduction in corrosion of Cu-15Al (1.6 mpy) when compared to pure Cu (20.7 mpy) was noticed despite the low densification of Cu-Al. The higher impedance of Cu-15Al alloy corroborates the formation of protective layer. This work demonstrates the efficacy of high amount of Al in improving corrosion resistance of Cu.