Why Are Custom Enamel Pins so Expensive?

All consumers see when shopping is the final price tag, and they’re surprised when it doesn’t meet the expectation they have for the effort that goes into certain products. Even though they’re so small, enamel pins shock people who don’t realize they’re fairly expensive to make. But that’s only because average consumers aren’t familiar with the process it takes to produce enamel pins. A combination of the equipment necessary to create pin molds and the materials it takes to create pins independently all adds into the final price of a single enamel pin.

Equipment

Mold and Plating

Even though enamel pins are small, they are known for their level of detail that you can see even from a distance. In order to create this oxymoron, we have to use specialized equipment to create the mold of your design. A custom pin mold with us varies from about $55-$80 depending on the level of detail and size.

Enamel Coloring

Not only is the equipment required for plating and molds expensive, but the equipment adding the enamel color to your pin is expensive as well. The equipment we use has to be able to use both soft or hard enamel depending on how filled with color you want the enamel pins to be.

Design and Detail

As we mentioned before, the level of detail we can do on an enamel pin is incredible. But the more detail that you wish to add, the higher the overall cost will be. There are even more additional costs depending on what detailing and customization you add to your enamel pins.

Size

There are a variety of sizes that we can produce enamel pins, which means there are different pricing options. Our standard size is 1 inch, but we can make the pins much larger if needed. In order to produce larger pins, we have to make the pins thicker as well so they won’t bend. Larger pins also use more material to produce, which adds to the cost per pin.

Metal Base

The way we produce enamel pins also depends on the base material that you start with. Bronze as a metal is pricier than a more common material like iron; it adds a heftier weight to your pin but also raises the price. We might recommend a certain base metal if your design needs to be cut very intricately on the outside rim rather than a standard circle or square pin. The size of your pin also affects the metal base we choose for your design.

Extra Features

There are a few extra features that we’ll add depending on the level of complexity you’re looking for on your enamel pin. Consider these more like icing on the cake rather than a standard addition. 

• Plating: We have several platings from nickel to gold that can be used to coat your enamel pin before adding the color.
• Number of Colors: Depending on the number of colors that you are planning to use, we have to add to the cost since there are more materials being used.
• Backing Attachment: How your pin will be attached can be changed from just the post and butterfly pin. Depending on the size of your pins, we may even recommend that you change the backing to ensure that your pins won’t fall off after they’re applied.
• Type of Enamel Color: We don’t just do opaque enamel color. We offer a transparent enamel to give your pin a stained glass finish; we also offer 
• 3D Finish: You can make your custom pins go even further by making them three dimensional rather than two dimensional. In order to do this, we have to use a completely separate piece of equipment to make the pin mold.
• Rush the Order: If needed, we can rush the order directly to your address, but that extra effort to cut time will add more shipping fees to your order of pins.

The more of these features that you’d like us to add, the more that we have to add to the overall cost.

Quantity

Because of all of the previously mentioned material and equipment costs, many companies can’t afford to make low quantity orders for enamel pins. And that is why it also feels as if, at least for the everyday consumer, enamel pins have an extremely high cost. The mold cost alone is at least $50, and if you order a minimum of 50 pins and each pin is about a dollar to produce, you’re suddenly looking at $100. Plus the cost of any additional shipping or rush fees and you may possibly be looking close to $200 at enamel pins.

So Now You Know!

You’re on your way to producing your own enamel pins with much better footing. If you’re still not sure how much you want to or even can add to your pins, please feel free to call us or reach out with a formal quote request on our website. We can help you navigate through the process and answer any questions.