Custom enamel pins fall into two main categories: soft enamel pins and hard enamel pins. If you’re planning to use custom enamel pins in your next promotional activity, you’ve come to the right place.
Organizations across industries use enamel pins as powerful tools to promote their brands and showcase their identity. These small, eye-catching items help businesses advertise products, recognize achievements, and build team spirit. For example, many companies reward top performers with custom pins, while clubs use them to represent membership and unity.
To choose the right type of pin for your purpose, you need to understand the key differences between soft enamel and hard enamel pins. Each style offers unique benefits depending on your goals, budget, and design preferences. By learning the strengths of both types, you can confidently select the perfect option for your brand or event.
But it becomes difficult when someone has to choose between the hard and soft enamel pins. Most of them need an understanding of the differences between a hard and soft enamel pin. Going through this blog, you can make an effective choice for your brand.
Soft Enamel Pins
The designer begins a soft enamel pin by stamping and cutting the shape from a metal sheet. Next, the manufacturer plates the pin. The stamping process creates raised and recessed areas, forming different levels on the metal surface. Then, the team fills the recessed areas with enamel paint to add color and detail.
These pins have a distinctive “bumpy” or textured feel because of the raised metal edges around each color section. This texture gives soft enamel pins a bold, eye-catching look that stands out.
Manufacturers typically produce soft enamel pins at a slightly lower cost than hard enamel pins. If requested, they can also apply a complimentary epoxy resin coating to protect the surface.
Designers can include more detailed lines in soft enamel pins due to the textured finish. Unlike die-struck pins, which lack color, soft enamel pins offer rich visual variety through full enamel paint.
Hard Enamel Pins
Hard enamel pins, also known as cloisonné pins, provide a durable, jewelry-grade finish that stands out in both quality and appearance. Similar to soft enamel pins, we begin the process by stamping the design into a metal base. However, we take it a step further by filling each recessed area with colored resin instead of enamel paint.
Next, we bake each color individually at a high temperature. This curing process hardens the resin and locks in the color. After baking, we polish the entire surface to remove excess resin and smooth out the texture. This step creates a glossy, refined finish that sits level with the metal lines.
As a result, hard enamel pins feature a flat, flawless surface. Unlike soft enamel pins, which have raised metal edges, hard enamel pins offer a sleek, polished look. This smooth finish makes them more resistant to scratches and perfect for long-term wear or high-end presentation.
Additionally, we use resin rather than traditional glass to allow for a full range of Pantone color options. This choice ensures greater design flexibility without sacrificing durability. Compared to soft enamel pins, which display more textured metal lines, hard enamel pins achieve a crisper, more vivid appearance.
In summary, hard enamel pins combine strength, color precision, and elegance—making them ideal for any brand seeking a premium custom pin.
Key Difference
The final texture is the primary difference between soft and hard enamel pins. Soft enamel pins have elevated metal edges, while hard enamel pins are smooth and flat.
| Hard Enamel Pins | Soft Enamel Pins |
| are high in durability. | have a medium durability. |
| These pins are effectively scratch-resistant. | These pins are prone to scratches. |
| Hard enamel pins come with a clean and polished look and feel. | Whereas, soft enamel pins come with a textured look with raised metal edges. |
| Hard enamel pins are not designed with complicated designs. They are kept clean as much as possible. | On the other hand, in soft enamel pins, intricate designs can be applied. |
| The hard enamel pins are primarily filled with enamel and then polished to make them flat. Hard enamel pins are the best option if you want silver or standard gold metal plating. | The metal plating step is executed for these pins before the enamel fill-in process. Hence, rainbow-plated or colored metal plates are available in these pins. |
| The option of silk screen printing is available in this pin. With this option, areas that are very small can be filled with enamel. | In soft enamel pins, no option for silk screen printing is available. |
| Hard enamel pins are expensive to produce. | Enamel is applied once, so these pins are cheaper to make. |
When should you pick soft enamel and hard enamel pins?
Soft enamel pins are popular for their intricate designs and textured appearance. If you want your nails to be rainbow-plated, painted black, or any other custom color, then go for the soft enamel pins.
Choose hard enamel pins if you need custom pins that are extremely durable and have a flat, polished appearance. These exquisitely designed items are excellent as limited-edition mementos or incentives for top-performing staff members.
Conclusion
Personalized pins are a distinctive way to represent your company, mark important occasions, and foster relationships. Whether you choose the smooth sophistication of hard enamel or the textured charm of soft enamel, Pin Creator can produce any of your desired pins. With this understanding of soft vs. hard enamel pins, you can easily select the ideal style for your pin-tastic endeavors. The details make all the difference!
