How are metal buttons made? Through a chain of precise steps, where every decision, from the design of the mould to the final coat of lacquer, shapes the price, look and durability of the finished button. Once you understand the process you can ask suppliers the right questions, plan realistic lead times and avoid paying for things you don't need. Here is the journey from sketch to a button sewn on a garment.
Step 1: Design and technical specification
Everything starts with a drawing: diameter (in mm or in lignes, where 1 ligne = 0.635 mm), profile, thickness, attachment type (holes, shank, jeans tack, snap), relief and logo. The base metal is decided here too: zinc alloy for complex relief or brass for a classic stamped button. The clearer the spec, the fewer corrections later.
Tip: supply your logo as a vector file and state the minimum line width. Lines finer than roughly 0.3 mm often fail to reproduce cleanly in metal.
Metal coat of arms buttons 6-Z538 Col 292 – Gun Metal 22 mm with shank
MC 1772 crest metal buttons – Gun Metal 20 mm with shank for suits and jackets
Metal buttons with logo 0076 Col 101926 – 18 mm with matte grey finishStep 2: Mould making
Each new design needs a steel mould or die. This is the largest one-off cost of the project, which is why custom button orders come with minimum quantities. A mould can have several cavities so multiple buttons are cast per shot. Well-made tooling lasts for hundreds of thousands of cycles and ensures the button in your next reorder matches the first one exactly.
Step 3: Forming, cast or stamped
Die casting (Zamak)
In high-pressure die casting, molten zinc-aluminium alloy is injected into the steel mould, solidifies in seconds and comes out as a "tree" of buttons joined by runners. The method handles crests, sculpted logos and complex shapes with excellent repeatability.
Stamping from sheet (brass, steel, aluminium)
In stamping, a metal strip runs through a press that blanks out discs and draws them into shape over several stages. This is how hollow two-piece blazer buttons, jeans button caps, snap fasteners and rivets are made. The parts are then joined by crimping the edge.
Step 4: Trimming, deburring and tumbling
Castings are separated from the runners and the leftover flash is removed. The buttons then go into vibratory tumblers with abrasive media. This rounds the edges, smooths the surface and prepares it for plating. A rushed job here shows up later as roughness under the finish or a sharp edge that cuts the sewing thread.
Step 5: Polishing
For high-shine finishes the buttons are polished further, and this decides how mirror-like the nickel or gold will look. For matte, brushed or sandblasted effects the surface is deliberately textured to scatter light.
Step 6: Electroplating
This is the stage that most affects colour and durability. The buttons pass through a series of electrolytic baths. On zinc alloy, intermediate layers come first: copper, then usually nickel, and only then the final colour. Silver, for instance, cannot be deposited directly onto Zamak; it needs copper and nickel underlayers. Where a nickel-free spec is required, the nickel layer is replaced with alternative chemistries.
Antique effects such as antique brass, antique silver and antique copper are produced by darkening the whole button and then brushing back the raised areas, so the recesses stay dark.
Step 7: Lacquering and curing
A clear or tinted lacquer goes over the plating to protect it from oxidation and scratches, and is then cured at a controlled temperature. Special coatings such as soft-touch (a rubberised feel) or enamel are applied at this stage too.
Step 8: Quality control
- Dimensions: diameter, height, holes, shank length.
- Appearance: even colour, no stains, blisters or pits.
- Adhesion: the finish must not flake when bent or scratched.
- Corrosion: a neutral salt spray test (ISO 9227) shows how many hours the finish lasts.
- Nickel release: EN 1811 testing for parts in prolonged skin contact.
- Strength: pull and open/close testing for snaps and jeans buttons.
Why every step affects the price
| Stage | What drives cost up | Where you can save |
|---|---|---|
| Mould | New design, many cavities, 3D relief | A standard shape with an engraved logo |
| Material | Solid brass, large diameter | Hollow brass or Zamak |
| Finish | Gold, antique effects, nickel-free | Standard colours from the range |
| Quantity | Small runs, many colourways | One design across several styles |
Checklist: questions to ask your manufacturer
Before you sign off a quote for custom buttons, get clear answers to these:
- Which metal will the button be, and is it solid or hollow?
- How many cavities does the mould have, and who owns it after the project?
- What underlayers make up the plating, and do they include nickel?
- Is the button lacquered, and with what type of lacquer?
- Which tests are run on each batch: salt spray, nickel release, pull strength?
- What tolerance applies to size and colour between batches?
- How will the buttons be packed: by colour, by size, with a batch label?
The answers show how much control the manufacturer has over the process and give you a basis for comparing quotes that otherwise look identical on paper. Two buttons at the same price can have very different lives on a garment if one has three plating layers plus lacquer and the other just a thin top coat.
Lead times: what to expect
The usual sequence is design approval, mould making, samples, sample approval and then bulk production. Samples are critical, so approve the colour in daylight and against the actual fabric. Changing the finish after approval means a new batch; changing the shape means a new mould. Build these checkpoints into your critical path rather than treating them as a formality, and keep an approved reference sample for every future reorder.
If you are planning your own logo or crest buttons, Bul-tex manufactures and supplies trims for brands and accepts custom orders, so contact us. In the meantime, browse our ready-made metal buttons, snap fasteners and rivets, or read more about how trims are made.
