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

Door hardware is regularly 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 décor accessories that help perfect the style and atmosphere of our homes.

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

Designers use many materials to create design 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 favoured by designers, who find them especially well suited to crafting solid and beautiful door handles.

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

In order to choose between a zamak handle and stainless steel handles, let us conduct 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) as well as door hardware!

What is zamak?

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

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

Zamak is a competitive material with high production rates that reduce its manufacturing cost.

In terms of surface finishes, zamak accepts all types of coatings, 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 prone 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 resistant to rust and corrosion.

What are the respective properties of zamak and stainless steel?

The advantages of zamak

Zamak is a material with multiple advantages.

• Resistant material: Zamak is resistant to friction, wear and corrosion
• Eco-friendly material: Zamak is a virtuous alloy since zinc alloys are less polluting to produce and are infinitely recyclable. Zamak is 100% reusable by recycling end-of-life products without any loss of quality.
• Easy to maintain 

Zamak is therefore a solid, durable and cost-effective material.

 The advantages of stainless steel 

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

• Cost-effective material: stainless steel is cheaper 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 a cost-effective, durable and hygienic material

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

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

Both zamak and stainless steel offer ideal properties for door handles. To refine our choice, it is best to compare them on specific criteria.

Which material is most suitable for interior décor?

You will discover below that zamak and stainless steel can be used to craft interior handles of great beauty, originality and modernity. 

In terms of door handle design, both materials are on an equal footing. Their malleability frees designers from any limits on the shapes of escutcheons 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 handles, white handles, gold handles, rust, gunmetal or copper patina. 

Therefore, if one takes 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 and wear-resistant alloy. It withstands moisture just as well as stainless steel. You can therefore count on the sturdiness of zamak handles for your living room, kitchen or bedrooms.

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

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

If one wishes to distinguish between the two materials, stainless steel has the edge as it is naturally hygienic thanks to its completely smooth surface. 

Is a zamak handle more expensive than stainless steel?

Zamak and stainless steel are cost-effective materials. They allow design door handles to be offered at low prices. 

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

Since the range of products and finishes is wider for zamak handles, it is logical that the price range is too. The cheapest zamak handles are priced at 20 euros. Premium zamak handles are offered at around one hundred euros.

Summary of the advantages of zamak and stainless steel door handles

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

Our top stainless steel handles

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

Stainless steel door handle - ref ovale 1708

Contemporary design for this low-cost stainless steel handle with maximum decorative impact! Ideal for enhancing a kitchen door where stainless steel is used in small touches on kitchen furniture knobs or aluminium-coloured taps.

Satin stainless steel interior door handle - ref Kvadrat 1703 

The square plate, angular lever and satin stainless steel finish bring full modernity to this model with an impeccable finish. This stainless steel handle fits perfectly in a modern bathroom. To protect your privacy, you can add a matching design escutcheon 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 plate of this matt black zamak door handle gives it the clean and design style perfect for dressing the doors of your contemporary living room. Combined with modern furniture, 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 plate with elegant lines enhances your contemporary interior. Designers chose zamak for its aesthetics and variety of finishes.

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

Two-tone zamak door handle - ref Jumelle   

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

Zamak once again stands out for the diversity of its finishes: two-tone polished chrome and titanium finish, and 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 and exterior door handles as well as other decorative hardware fittings such as French door handles, pull handles, and matching furniture knobs, door knobs or drawer knobs. 

Both materials guarantee the strength and durability of handles that will be operated hundreds of times a day to move from room to room. These functional accessories made up of a few components (escutcheon, fixing screw, spindle or square and return spring) will perform their function reliably 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.

Browse the wide range of design door handles at the Milla Poignées online shop or by visiting the showroom in the Paris region. Our interior handle specialist is ready to advise you on all things décor and DIY!