Zamak or stainless steel: the essential comparison for choosing the right door handles!

Door hardware is constantly being enriched with ultra-design products that have become indispensable to our interior décor. Door handles, long considered simple functional fittings, are becoming modern and original decorative accessories that help perfect the style and ambiance of our home.

You have access to a very extensive range of interior handles featuring door handles on round, square or long backplates, black handles or gold handles, original or classic handles to suit all decorative styles. 

Designers use many materials to design designer door handles. Wrought iron, wood, porcelain, crystal and bronze have been joined by brass, zamak and stainless steel. These last two materials — zamak and stainless steel — are particularly popular with designers, who find them exceptionally well suited to crafting solid and stunning door handles. 

Zamak and stainless steel offer excellent qualities in terms of strength and aesthetics that are so close it can sometimes be difficult to tell them apart.

In order to choose between a zamak handle and stainless steel handles, let us carry out a comparison to better understand: 

• the difference between zamak and stainless steel
• their respective properties
• the advantages of a zamak and stainless steel handle

What is the difference between zamak and stainless steel?

Zamak and stainless steel are materials with multiple applications in industry (automotive, construction, electrical…) and decoration (watchmaking, jewellery, clothing buckles) and door hardware!

What is zamak?

Zamak (or zamac) is an alloy of zinc, aluminium, magnesium and copper. All zinc alloys offer mechanical properties close to those of plastic and aluminium.

Quick and easy to work with, zamak lends itself to many moulding techniques and is perfect for producing a wide variety of products and fine or even complex parts. 

Zamak is a competitive material that benefits from high production rates, which reduce its manufacturing cost.

In terms of surface finishes, zamak accepts all types of coating, which allows designers to express themselves freely..

What is stainless steel?

Raw steel is a mixture of iron, carbon and alloying elements (such as chromium, zinc or nickel) not exceeding 5% of the total mass. Raw steel is very strong but susceptible to oxidation. By adding more than 10% chromium and less than 1.2% carbon, the steel becomes stainless. 

Stainless steel is therefore a type of steel that is resistant to rust and corrosion.

What are the respective properties of zamak and stainless steel?

The advantages of zamak

Zamak is a material with many advantages.

• Resistant material: Zamak is resistant to friction, wear and corrosion
• Eco-friendly material: Zamak is a virtuous alloy, as zinc alloys are less polluting to produce and are infinitely recyclable. Zamak is 100% reusable by recycling end-of-life products with no loss of quality
• Easy to maintain 

Zamak is therefore a strong, durable and economical material.

 The advantages of stainless steel 

The properties of stainless steel are not limited to corrosion resistance.

• Economical material: stainless steel is less expensive than galvanised steel
• Solid material: stainless steel is resistant yet easy to work with
• Hygienic material, easy to clean and durable

Stainless steel is therefore an economical, resistant and hygienic material

Zamak and stainless steel are excellent raw materials for the manufacture of strong and beautiful door handles.

How do you choose between a zamak handle and a stainless steel handle?

Zamak and stainless steel both offer ideal properties for door handles. To refine our choice, it is better to compare them on specific criteria.

Which material is most suited to interior decoration?

You will discover below that zamak and stainless steel can be used to craft beautifully original and modern interior handles. 

When it comes to door handle design, the two materials are on an equal footing. Their malleability frees designers from any limitations on the shapes of roses and levers. You can find stainless steel handles just as original as zamak ones.

In terms of finishes, stainless steel is renowned for its door handles with naturally modern chrome tones. The main finishes available are brushed stainless steel, matt or satin stainless steel and matt black. The surface of a stainless steel handle is perfectly smooth. 

Zamak offers a wider range of colours: black door handle, white handles, gold handles, rust, gunmetal or copper patina. 

Therefore, if we take into account the multitude of surface finishes available for interior handles, zamak has the advantage over stainless steel. 

Stainless steel handles or zamak handles: which are the most robust?

The primary quality of stainless steel is its resistance to corrosion. Stainless steel handles are preferred for wet rooms in the home, such as the kitchen or bathroom, as well as for exterior door handles and front door handles.

Zamak is an extremely hard alloy that is resistant to wear. It holds up well to moisture, just like stainless steel. You can therefore count on the strength of zamak handles for your living room, kitchen or bedrooms.

Is a zamak handle easier to maintain than a stainless steel handle?

Whether in zamak or stainless steel, your door handles require no special maintenance. Both materials are ideal for withstanding intensive use, with hundreds of daily operations, without failing. 

If we nonetheless wish to distinguish between the two materials, the advantage goes to stainless steel, which is naturally hygienic thanks to its perfectly smooth surface. 

Is a zamak handle more expensive than stainless steel?

Zamak and stainless steel are economical materials. They make it possible to offer designer door handles at low prices. 

Budget between €20 and €30 for beautiful modern stainless steel door handles.

As the choice of products and finishes is wider for zamak handles, it is only natural that the price range is too. The least expensive zamak handles are priced at €20. Premium zamak handles are offered at around €100.

Summary of the advantages of a zamak and stainless steel door handle

After reviewing the properties of each material, let us admire a few examples of zamak handles and stainless steel handles!

Our top stainless steel handles

A stainless steel door handle with a chrome finish instantly brings a modern touch to every room in the home.

Stainless steel door handle – ref oval 1708

Contemporary design for this budget stainless steel handle with maximum decorative impact! Ideal for enhancing a kitchen door where stainless steel is introduced in small touches on the kitchen unit knobs or aluminium-coloured taps.

Interior door handle in satin stainless steel – ref Kvadrat 1703 

The square backplate, angular lever and satin stainless steel finish bring full modernity to this impeccably finished model. This stainless steel handle integrates beautifully into a modern bathroom. To preserve your privacy, you can add a matching-design rose fitted with a locking system (key lock or privacy turn particularly suited to WCs and bathrooms).

Our top zamak handles

The zamak door handle range is very diverse. Here are a few examples…

Black zamak door handle – ref Lupina

The concealed backplate of this door handle in matt black zamak gives it the clean, designer look that is perfect for dressing the doors of your contemporary living room. Combined with modern furnishings, this elegant and slender door handle will enhance your interior décor.

Matt gold zamak door handle – ref Dalia

 This modern door handle on a round backplate with elegant lines enhances your contemporary interior. Designers chose zamak for its aesthetics and the variety of finishes available.

Available in six colours — matt gold, shiny gold, polished or satin chrome, copper and black — this designer model suits all decorative styles.

Two-tone zamak door handle – ref Jumelle   

With a futuristic style, this original door handle surprises with its unique design: the ultra-slim lever appears to be inserted into the round rose. 

Zamak once again demonstrates the diversity of its finishes: a two-tone polished chrome and titanium finish and the black-on-black finish. This avant-garde two-tone door handle brings chic and luxury to your contemporary interior décor. 

Zamak and stainless steel are excellent raw materials for the manufacture of interior or exterior door handles as well as other decorative hardware fittings such as French door handles, pull handles, and also matching furniture knobs, door knobs or drawer knobs. 

Both materials guarantee the strength and durability of handles that will be used hundreds of times a day to move from one room to another. These functional accessories, made up of a few components (rose, fixing screws, spindle or square and return spring), will perform their function without fail while boosting your style! To avoid a difficult choice between a zamak handle or a stainless steel handle, prioritise the style (vintage or modern), the design and the finish of the model.

Discover the wide range of designer door handles at the milla handles online shop or by visiting the showroom in the Paris region. The interior handle specialist is waiting to offer all the décor and DIY advice you need!