Hard enamel pin vs soft enamel pin side by side comparison showing surface differences

You've decided to order custom enamel pins. Smart move — they're one of the most versatile branding tools around, great for employee badges, event giveaways, merch lines, and brand promotion. But now you're facing the first real decision: hard enamel or soft enamel? 

The names make it sound like one is just a tougher version of the other. It's not that simple. Hard and soft enamel pins are made through fundamentally different processes, and they look and feel distinctly different. We've produced both types for years, and the right choice depends entirely on how you plan to use them. Let's break it down. 

How They're Made: Two Different Processes 

Both hard and soft enamel pins start the same way. A metal die is struck to create the pin's shape, with raised metal lines forming the borders of each color area. These raised lines — called "die lines" — separate the different sections of your design. Think of them like the leading in a stained glass window. 

Here's where the paths diverge. 

Soft enamel pins have liquid enamel poured into the recessed areas between the die lines, then baked at a relatively low temperature (around 230°F/110°C) to cure the enamel. The enamel shrinks slightly as it dries, so the colored areas sit below the raised metal borders. If you run your finger across a soft enamel pin, you can feel the raised metal lines — there's a tactile, dimensional quality to the surface.

Close-up of hard enamel pin showing smooth glass-like polished surface

Hard enamel pins (also called "cloisonné") go through a more involved process. Enamel is added in multiple layers, with each layer fired at higher temperatures (around 400°F/200°C). After the enamel builds up to the level of the metal die lines, the entire surface is ground flat and polished to a smooth, glass-like finish. The result is a pin where the enamel and metal are perfectly flush — no texture, no ridges, just a smooth plane. 

That polishing step is what makes hard enamel more time-consuming and more expensive to produce. It's also what gives hard enamel pins their distinctive premium look. 

The Look: Textured vs. Smooth 

Hold a soft enamel pin next to a hard enamel pin with the same design, and the difference is immediately obvious.

Soft enamel has dimension. The raised metal lines create shadows and highlights that give the pin a textured, almost sculptural quality. Colors appear slightly matte or semi-glossy (though an epoxy dome coating can add shine — more on that later). The overall effect is artistic and handcrafted. 

Hard enamel is flat and polished. The surface looks and feels like glass or ceramic. Colors are vibrant and glossy, with a jewel-like quality. The pin has a more formal, refined appearance that people often associate with higher quality. Think of the difference between a matte painting and a lacquered finish. 

Neither look is "better" — they serve different purposes. Soft enamel's texture tends to work well for illustrated, artistic, or playful designs. Hard enamel's polish suits clean, corporate, and premium branding. 

Durability: How They Hold Up 

Hard enamel pins are more scratch-resistant than soft enamel. That polished surface is tough — it takes real effort to damage it. The enamel won't chip under normal wear because it's been fired at high temperatures and ground smooth. These pins can live on a jacket lapel, backpack, or lanyard for years and still look sharp. 

Soft enamel pins are durable too, but the exposed die lines can pick up scratches more easily, and the recessed enamel — while cured and solid — is slightly more susceptible to chipping under impact. For most normal use (pinned to clothing, displayed on a board, worn at events), this isn't a real concern. But if the pins will see heavy daily wear, hard enamel has an edge. 

Close-up of soft enamel pin showing textured surface with raised metal lines

Here's a practical consideration: many soft enamel pins can come with an epoxy dome coating — a clear resin layer applied over the top of the pin that fills in the texture and creates a smooth, glossy surface. Epoxy-coated soft enamel pins are nearly as durable as hard enamel and have a similar glossy appearance, though the dome coating adds slight thickness and a subtly different visual quality than true hard enamel polish. 

Design Considerations 

Your design can actually dictate which type you should choose. 

Color count: Both types typically support up to 5-7 enamel colors, though more is possible. Soft enamel is slightly more forgiving with color transitions because the recessed areas create natural separations. Hard enamel requires very precise die lines because any area that gets enamel needs to be perfectly bordered by metal. 

Fine detail: Soft enamel handles fine details slightly better because the dimensional aspect makes small elements more visible. With hard enamel, very thin lines can get lost in the polishing process. If your design has text smaller than about 5pt or extremely thin graphical elements, soft enamel is typically the safer bet.

Size: Hard enamel production is most reliable at sizes between 0.75" and 2". Very small hard enamel pins (under 0.5") can be tricky to polish evenly, and very large ones (over 2.5") require more polishing passes, increasing cost. Soft enamel handles both small and large sizes more easily. 

Metal finishes: Both types work with the same metal plating options — gold, silver, black nickel, antique copper, rose gold, and more. The metal finish interacts differently with each type though. On soft enamel, the raised metal lines are prominent and create strong visual borders. On hard enamel, the metal lines are flush with the enamel, so they appear as thin outlines rather than raised borders. 

Cost and Minimums 

Soft enamel pins are less expensive than hard enamel, typically by 15-30% depending on size and complexity. The price difference comes from the simpler production process — no multiple firing cycles, no grinding, no polishing. 

For budget-conscious projects like event giveaways, promotional campaigns, or merch lines where you need volume, soft enamel is usually the practical choice. For premium applications — corporate gifts, collector pins, high-end brand merchandise — the investment in hard enamel pays off in perceived value. 

Our minimums for both types start at 25 pieces, which is low enough to test a design before committing to a large production run. Many of our clients start with a soft enamel run to validate the design, then upgrade to hard enamel for their production order if the pin will be a permanent part of their branding. 

When to Choose Each Type 

Choose hard enamel when: 

You're creating pins for long-term use — employee badges, membership pins, permanent brand merchandise. The design is clean and graphic with good-sized color areas. You want a premium, polished look that signals quality. Durability matters because the pins will see daily wear. Budget is less of a constraint than finish quality. 

Choose soft enamel when: 

You want a textured, artistic look with visual dimension. You're ordering for events, promotions, or limited runs where cost efficiency matters. Your design has fine details or very small text. You want the dimensional feel of raised metal lines. 

Making Your Decision

If you're still on the fence, here's the simplest way to think about it: hold your design up and ask whether it feels more "art print" or "jewelry." Art prints are soft enamel — textured, expressive, dimensional. Jewelry is hard enamel — smooth, polished, refined. 

Both types of pins are made from the same base metals, use the same enamel color palette, and come with the same backing options (butterfly clutch, rubber clutch, magnetic, or safety pin). The difference is in the finish and the feel. 

Ready to see how your design looks as a pin? Request a free quote and our team will mock up your design in both styles so you can compare before you commit. With minimums at just 25 pieces, you can test either type without a major investment.