What Are Custom Enamel Pins?
Custom enamel pins get their name from the enamel paint used to color the design. Once cured, the enamel creates a durable, glossy finish that gives pins their vibrant color and lasting quality. On a lapel pin, that translates to bright, vivid color that holds up to years of daily wear without fading or flaking.
We offer two styles of custom enamel pins: soft enamel and hard enamel (cloisonné). Both produce high-quality results, so the choice typically comes down to the look and feel you prefer. Before deciding, it helps to understand how color is selected and applied.
A Word About Colors on Custom Enamel Pins
Every major pin manufacturer, including us, uses the Pantone Matching System to specify enamel colors. Pantone codes ensure that the color you choose is the same color that appears on your finished pins, regardless of how it looks on different screens or devices.
If you are creating a custom logo pin or corporate lapel pin, you can send us your brand style guide. We will match your brand colors directly to Pantone for consistent, accurate results across all materials.
A couple of things to keep in mind when picking colors:
- Monitors lie. Screens display color differently, so the most accurate way to choose colors is by using a physical Pantone color book.
- Borrow from teams or schools. If you like the colors used by a sports team, school, or brand, we can match those Pantone codes for you.
- Every proof has the codes. Every digital proof we send includes Pantone codes so you can review and confirm before production.
Once your colors are finalized, the next step is choosing between a soft enamel or hard enamel finish.
Custom Soft Enamel Pins
Soft enamel pins are the most popular style of custom enamel pin. They are created using a die-striking process, where a custom steel mold stamps your design into a sheet of metal such as brass, copper, or iron.
Each design requires its own custom die. After stamping, the pins are cut, cleaned, and plated with your selected metal finish, such as gold, silver, copper, black nickel, or antique finishes.
Color is added after plating and fills the recessed areas of the design. The raised metal lines remain exposed, which creates the signature textured look. You can both see and feel the difference between the metal and enamel, giving soft enamel pins a more dimensional and detailed appearance.
Custom Hard Enamel Pins
Hard enamel pins (also called cloisonné) are made with a similar process, but the order of operations and the final finish are different.
After the pins are struck and deburred, they go straight to colorfilling - before plating. The recessed areas of the design are intentionally overfilled with enamel, and once the enamel cures the surface is polished down until the enamel is perfectly flush with the raised metal. Then the pins are plated and finished.
The result is a smooth, glassy surface where you can see the design clearly but can’t feel the metal lines under your finger. Hard enamel pins are often chosen for a more refined and polished look. They are commonly used for corporate awards, anniversary pins, and recognition pieces where a sleek finish is preferred.
If you want a deeper comparison, our blog post on the difference between hard and soft enamel pins walks through it in detail with side-by-side photos.
How to Order Custom Enamel Pins
Our goal is to make the process of designing and ordering custom enamel pins simple and efficient. Start by filling out a free quote form with your design idea. Our team will send you a digital proof, usually within 24 hours.
Artwork and revisions are always free. Every order includes a 100% quality guarantee and free priority air shipping. Standard production time is 10 days or less after artwork approval.
If you have a design in mind, send us your ideas and we will help bring them to life.
Bulk and Wholesale Custom Enamel Pin Orders
Most of our customers order somewhere in the 100 to 300 piece range, but we regularly produce custom enamel pins in much larger quantities for resellers, distributors, conventions, and large-team rollouts. Bulk orders unlock per-unit price breaks that scale with quantity - the more pins you need, the lower the unit price gets.
If you’re ordering thousands of pins instead of hundreds, take a look at our wholesale custom pin pricing page or just send the quantity you have in mind through the quote form and we’ll come back with bulk pricing.
Common Questions About Custom Enamel Pins
How are custom enamel pins made?
Custom enamel pins start as a steel die that’s used to stamp your artwork into a sheet of brass, copper, or iron. The stamped pins are cut out, deburred, plated with the metal finish you choose (gold, silver, copper, black nickel, antique finishes), and then color-filled with enamel paint. Soft enamel pins get color after plating with the enamel sitting in the recessed areas of the design; hard enamel pins (cloisonné) get color before plating and are polished smooth so the enamel is flush with the metal.
What is the minimum order for custom enamel pins?
Our minimum order is 100 pieces for any custom enamel pin design. The 100-piece minimum keeps unit pricing reasonable since the bulk of the cost on smaller runs goes toward the custom die and tooling, which we make fresh for every design.
How long does it take to get custom enamel pins?
Standard production is 7 to 10 business days once you’ve approved the artwork proof, with free priority shipping included on every order to addresses in the continental United States. Add-ons like glitter, spinners, or unusually complex platings can push that timeline a few days longer. We also offer rush options if you need pins in hand sooner - let your salesperson know your in-hand date and we’ll find a way to make it work.
Can you match my brand colors on custom enamel pins?
Yes. We use the Pantone Matching System for every enamel color, so you can give us either Pantone codes directly or a brand style guide and we’ll match exactly. The Pantone codes appear on the digital proof so you can verify the colors before approving production.
Do you offer custom enamel pins in bulk or wholesale?
Yes - we produce bulk custom enamel pin orders for resellers, distributors, conventions, and large organizations. Bulk pricing kicks in with quantity-based price breaks; see our wholesale pin pricing page or send your target quantity through the quote form for a custom bulk quote.
