We wanted to kick off this first blog post with you by discussing the different metals used in furniture hardware. We know how often this question comes up and all the nuances it involves when it comes to your final choice.
As you’ll see on our website, we’ve separated the concepts of materials and finishes within the filters. This is because a material allows for the application of a specific finish (chrome, nickel, matte, glossy, brushed, etc.). However, finishes do not necessarily dictate the material to be used (a matte gold finish can be applied to a brass or zamak base).
We can’t cover everything on this topic, but we’ll try to provide you with the key insights you need to better understand the products you’re selecting and their specific features—and, above all, the various types of metal hardware available for furniture.
In this first article, we will focus on metals.
Metal embodies the essence of hardware. In the collective imagination, the concept of hardware is associated with metal—and most often with polished brass (whether lacquered or unlacquered). Yet when it comes to decorative accessories, metal cannot be reduced to this single material.
Metals have consistently shaped history, especially in the field of furniture hardware: the Bronze Age, the Iron Age… and the advent of steel, which has enabled so many technological advances and achievements that would have been unthinkable before.
What are the different properties of each metal?
Each metal has specific properties, including:
- Metallic luster: in other words, a metal’s ability to reflect light. That’s why so many of our customers are looking for polished brass, for example, which reflects light significantly;
- Hardness: This refers to a part’s resistance to abrasion and penetration. When it comes to hardware accessories, the metals used are sufficiently hard for their intended use, regardless of the specific material chosen (brass, zamak, etc.).
- Resilience: the ability to withstand shocks.
- Elasticity:the ability of a metal to return to its original shape after being subjected to stress.
- Plasticity / Ductility:allowing manufacturers to shape decorative hardware items (e.g., bending / forming).
- Magnetism:Some metals are magnetic, while others are “nonmagnetic,” such as aluminum or certain types of stainless steel.
However, metals are rarely used in their pure form. It is the combinations devised by humans that allow them to achieve the exact properties they seek. This is especially true when it comes to hardware items used in your interior design.
What are the most well-known alloys we'll tell you about when you visit our store? What is their composition?
1. Brass:
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc (5 to 45 percent). It is a yellow metal that can appear golden depending on the alloy’s composition and how it is polished. This material is very easy to machine and is suitable for producing small, precision parts through turning.
Brass is also remarkably well-suited to surface treatments and coatings (varnish, nickel plating, chrome plating, etc.). This material is therefore not only widely used but also highly valued when it comes to hardware accessories.
You'll find our selection of brass door handles here.
2. Stainless steel:
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, carbon, chromium, and sometimes nickel, and its most desirable characteristic is its resistance to corrosion. It is the addition of chromium that makes the steel stainless, thereby protecting it.
Surprisingly, this chrome layer has self-healing properties. In fact, it will reform if it is hit or scratched.
Check out our selection of stainless steel furniture knobs and handles.
3. Aluminum:
Once a rare metal, it has become an industrial metal over the years. Yet it offers unmatched advantages. It can be used in its pure form or as an alloy to meet manufacturers’ requirements. It is extremely corrosion-resistant, non-magnetic, and lends itself perfectly to numerous surface treatments (painting or anodizing).
4. Zamak:
Zamak is very common. What is it made of? It is primarily an alloy of aluminum and zinc, but it also contains small amounts of magnesium and copper.
As such, this material responds very well to electrolytic finishing treatments, chrome plating, patinas, and bronzing. Consequently, it is the material of choice for furniture hardware.
We offer a wide selection of recessed zamak handles.
5. Bronze
Bronze is an alloy of copper (the main component) and tin (a minor component). This material is ideally suited for casting (sand or shell) at a temperature of approximately 1,300°C. Bronze has excellent corrosion resistance.
In our culture, bronze is associated with works of art, sculpture, and church bells. Over time, it will develop a “green patina,” which will give it its distinctive appearance.
6. Copper
It is an orange-brown metal that is extremely malleable and therefore easy to shape by deformation. Copper is often alloyed with other materials—particularly zinc—to produce brass, which you’ll find in hardware accessories.
I hope that from now on, the different types of metals you'll find at the hardware store will hold no more secrets for you.
However, when we talk about furniture hardware, we’re not just referring to metal. We’re also talking about wood, leather, porcelain, stone, glass, horn, and so on. We’ll tell you more about this soon.