What’s the difference between solid brass and die cast? No comments yet

One of those questions you may have been burning to know…

Brass is a metal alloy used in making many of our high-quality products. Many of our pieces are classified as solid brass, meaning that they are not hollow and are composed entirely of brass, making them quite dense, very durable, and more expensive than die cast. Brass pieces can retail for 20%-30% more than a comparable piece of zinc die cast hardware, but the increase in price is made up by an increase in quality and durability. The brass used to manufacture Cliffside’s solid brass hardware consists of approximately 60% copper, 37% zinc, and 3% other trace metals.

Die cast hardware is made primarily from zinc, a bluish-white, malleable metal. Unlike brass, which is an alloy, zinc is a element, meaning that it occurs naturally. Zinc is used to make paints, a variety of hygiene products, and, of course, die cast cabinet hardware. Zinc hardware is more affordable than solid brass, but is also much lighter and scores much lower in a standard salt spray test, used to test the durability of metal and plating. The zinc alloy used to make Cliffside’s die cast hardware consists of approximately 95% zinc, 4% aluminum, and 1% other trace metals.