There’s a reason enamel pin badges have become one of the most popular promotional products around. They’re collectable, long-lasting and have a premium feel that people genuinely want to wear, display and keep. A well-designed enamel pin often becomes something people collect and wear for years, rather than a giveaway that ends up forgotten in a drawer.
Whether you’re creating staff recognition badges, retail merchandise, charity fundraising products or promotional giveaways, custom enamel pin badges offer a professional finish that reflects the quality of your brand. Combining durability with eye-catching design, metal pin badges are an excellent choice for businesses, organisations, artists and charities looking to create merchandise that lasts.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about metal pin badges, including the differences between hard and soft enamel, available finishes, design considerations and how to choose the right option for your project.
What Are Enamel Pins? A Look at the Craftsmanship
Every enamel pin begins life as a solid piece of metal.
Your artwork is converted into a custom die, which is used to stamp your design into the chosen metal. This creates recessed areas that are then carefully filled with coloured enamel by hand or machine, depending on the design.
Once the enamel has cured, the badge is finished according to the chosen style. Hard enamel pins are polished perfectly flat, while soft enamel pins retain their raised metal edges for a textured appearance.
The end result is a premium-quality badge that’s built to last and capable of showcasing even intricate branding with exceptional clarity.
Should I Choose an Epoxy Coating?
At Best Badges, we apply a clear epoxy coating to our enamel pin badges as standard, unless you specifically request otherwise.
This transparent resin sits over the surface of the badge, giving it a smooth, glossy finish while providing an extra layer of protection against scratches, scuffs and everyday wear. It also helps preserve the colours, making it an excellent choice for badges that will be handled frequently or worn regularly.
The only downside is that the epoxy fills over the raised and recessed metal lines found on soft enamel badges. While you can still see the definition in the design, you lose the textured feel that many collectors and enthusiasts enjoy.
If you’re looking for maximum durability and a smooth finish, we’d usually recommend keeping the epoxy coating. However, if you want to showcase the traditional tactile feel of soft enamel, simply let us know when placing your order and we’ll manufacture your badges without it.
The Great Debate: Hard Enamel vs. Soft Enamel
Choosing between hard enamel and soft enamel is one of the biggest decisions when ordering custom enamel pin badges.
Both are manufactured using the same metal base, but the finishing process creates two very different looks.
What's the Difference? Hard Enamel vs. Soft Enamel
Hard Enamel
Soft Enamel
The enamel is polished perfectly level with the metal, creating a smooth, premium finish.
The enamel sits below the raised metal lines, giving the badge a textured, three-dimensional appearance.
A sleek, jewellery-like finish that's highly resistant to scratches and everyday wear.
The raised metal catches the light, making colours stand out and adding extra depth.
Perfect for corporate branding, employee awards and premium retail merchandise.
Ideal for promotional giveaways, clubs, charities, events and collector pins.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Hard Enamel | Soft Enamel |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Completely smooth and flat | Raised metal with recessed enamel |
| Finish | Premium, jewellery-like | Textured and dimensional |
| Durability | Excellent resistance to scratches and wear | Highly durable for everyday use |
| Appearance | Sleek and polished | Bold with added depth |
| Cost | Slightly higher | More cost-effective |
| Best For | Corporate branding, premium gifts, retail merchandise | Promotional campaigns, clubs, charities and events |
Hard Enamel Pins: The Polished, Flat & Durable Choice
Hard enamel pins are regarded as the premium option.
During production, each enamel colour is filled slightly above the metal lines before the entire badge is polished flat. This creates a perfectly smooth surface where the enamel and metal sit level with one another.
The finished badge feels similar to jewellery, with a glossy appearance that’s highly resistant to scratches and everyday wear.
Hard enamel is an excellent choice for:
- Corporate branding
- Executive gifts
- Employee recognition awards
- Retail merchandise
- Luxury product packaging
- Premium club badges
If you want the highest-quality finish available, hard enamel is difficult to beat.
Soft Enamel Pins: The Textured, 3D & Affordable Option
Soft enamel remains the most popular choice for custom pin badges thanks to its distinctive appearance and excellent value.
Rather than polishing the enamel level with the metal, the enamel sits slightly below the raised metal outlines. This creates a tactile surface that adds depth and makes individual colours stand out.
Soft enamel is particularly well suited to detailed artwork, bold illustrations and promotional campaigns where budget is an important consideration.
It’s ideal for:
- Promotional giveaways
- Charity campaigns
- Event merchandise
- Sports clubs
- Schools
- Creative brands
- Collector pins
Many collectors actually prefer the textured feel that soft enamel provides.
Beyond Enamel: Other Metal Pin Badge Styles
Not every design needs enamel. Depending on your artwork and branding, there are several other premium options available.
Stamped metal badges rely entirely on raised and recessed metal to create their design.
Without coloured enamel, attention is drawn to the craftsmanship of the metal itself, producing an understated and elegant finish that’s particularly popular for military-style badges, corporate awards and prestigious organisations.
Antique plating works especially well with stamped metal designs, helping to highlight the raised details and give the badge a timeless appearance.
Not every design is suitable for enamel. If your artwork includes gradients, photographs, very fine detail or complex colour transitions, a printed metal badge is often the better choice.
Printed metal badges reproduce your artwork directly onto the badge before sealing it beneath a clear epoxy resin coating for added protection.
This option is ideal for:
- Photographic images
- Complex illustrations
- Fine text
- Multi-colour logos
- Small production runs
The epoxy coating helps protect the printed design from scratches while giving the badge a smooth, glossy finish.
A Guide to Metal Finishes & Platings
The finish you choose has a huge impact on the final appearance of your badge.
Popular plating options include:
- Polished Gold
- Polished Silver
- Black Nickel
- Copper
- Antique Gold
- Antique Silver
- Antique Copper
- Brass
- Dyed Black
Polished Finish
Polished plating creates a bright, reflective appearance that complements modern logos and colourful enamel.
It’s the most popular option for corporate branding, promotional products and retail merchandise.
Antique Finish
Antique plating is chemically darkened before being polished back on the raised areas.
This creates greater contrast, highlights fine detail and gives badges a more traditional or vintage appearance.
Include a finish gallery showcasing each plating option.
Designing Your Perfect Pin Badge
A great badge starts with great artwork.
Our design team can help prepare your artwork for production, ensuring every detail is suitable for manufacturing and delivers the best possible result.
Artwork Preparation for Enamel Pins
Enamel manufacturing works differently from printing.
Every colour needs to be separated by a metal line, meaning gradients and photographic effects cannot be reproduced using enamel.
For the best results:
- Supply vector artwork where possible.
- Use solid colours.
- Avoid gradients.
- Keep small text to a minimum.
- Use clear outlines.
- Specify Pantone colours for accurate colour matching.
Pantone colour matching helps ensure your branding remains consistent across every badge.
Choosing the Right Size and Backing
Most custom enamel pins fall between 15mm and 50mm, although almost any size can be manufactured.
Smaller badges work well for corporate logos, while larger sizes provide more space for detailed illustrations.
Backing options include:
Butterfly Clutch Pin – Metal
The industry standard. Secure, reliable and suitable for most applications. The sprung metal clutch provides a firm hold and is the most popular choice for everyday wear.
Butterfly Clutch Pin – Rubber
A softer alternative to the traditional metal clutch. Ideal for children’s products, sportswear or delicate fabrics, as the rubber backing is more comfortable and less likely to scratch clothing.
Brooch Safety Pin
Best suited to larger badges where additional support is needed. The longer pin helps keep bigger or heavier badges secure and prevents them from rotating when worn on jackets, uniforms or bags.
Stick Pin
A classic fastening featuring a long pin with a push-on cap. Stick pins offer a smart, elegant appearance and are commonly used for lapel pins, tie pins, commemorative badges and formal occasions. They’re particularly popular for corporate events, hospitality, military associations and premium presentation pieces.
If you’re unsure which option to choose, we’re always happy to recommend the most suitable fastening for your intended use.
More Than Just Pin Badges: Alternative Fittings
One of the biggest advantages of custom metal badges is their versatility. The same design can often be manufactured with a variety of alternative fittings, allowing you to create premium branded products beyond traditional pin badges.
Cufflinks
Transform your design into a pair of custom cufflinks for a smart and distinctive finishing touch. Popular with corporate organisations, military associations, clubs and commemorative events, enamel cufflinks make excellent gifts and presentation pieces.
Magnets
Replace the traditional pin fitting with a magnetic backing to transform your design into a custom fridge magnet. They’re a fantastic promotional product, combining the premium look of an enamel badge with a practical everyday use that keeps your brand visible in homes, offices and workplaces.
Magnetic fittings can also be used as an alternative to pin fastenings for clothing, allowing badges to be worn without making holes in delicate fabrics. This makes them a popular choice for uniforms, exhibitions and temporary events where protecting clothing is important.
Trolley Coins
Custom trolley coins combine practical everyday use with excellent brand visibility. Designed to fit supermarket trolleys, they’re a popular promotional product for businesses, charities and retailers looking to create something customers are likely to keep and use regularly.
Enamel Keyrings
Enamel keyrings offer all the premium appearance of an enamel pin with the practicality of a keyring. Available in both hard and soft enamel finishes, they’re perfect for retail merchandise, promotional giveaways and corporate gifts.
Tie Pins
Custom tie pins provide a subtle and professional way to display your branding. They’re particularly popular with corporate teams, hospitality businesses, schools and formal organisations where a smart, coordinated appearance is important.
Inspiration Showcase: The Versatility of Pin Badges
For Corporate Branding & Employee Awards
Reward long service, celebrate achievements or reinforce company branding with premium enamel badges that employees are proud to wear.
For Artist Merchandise & E-commerce
Independent artists, musicians and creators regularly use enamel pins as affordable merchandise with excellent profit margins.
Limited edition pin releases have become highly collectible and are a popular addition to online stores.
For Events, Charities & Awareness Campaigns
Whether you’re fundraising, promoting a cause or commemorating an event, enamel badges create lasting reminders that supporters continue wearing long after the campaign ends.
They’re also lightweight, affordable to distribute and ideal for retail fundraising.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a pin and a badge?
The terms are often used interchangeably. Generally speaking, a pin refers to the fastening on the reverse, while a badge describes the finished product. In practice, both terms mean the same thing.
How thick are your metal pins?
Most enamel pins are manufactured between 1.2mm and 2mm thick, depending on the design and size. Larger or premium badges can be produced using thicker metal for a more substantial feel.
Can you match Pantone colours?
Yes. We can match Pantone colours to help ensure your branding remains consistent across every badge.
What is an epoxy coating?
An epoxy coating is a clear resin layer applied over printed metal badges. It protects the printed design from scratches and everyday wear while giving the badge a smooth, glossy finish.
Let's Create Your Premium Pin Badges!
Whether you’re ordering branded merchandise, charity badges, employee awards or retail products, our team can help turn your artwork into high-quality custom enamel pin badges that are made to last.
From initial design advice through to manufacturing and delivery, we’ll guide you through every step of the process to ensure you receive metal pin badges you’ll be proud to put your name on.
Ready to get started? Explore our Enamel Badges today or get in touch for a free, no-obligation quotation.
