History of Metal in Hinges: Bronze, Iron and Steel

Not until the second millennium BC, around 1400 BC, did the clever Hittites find a way to adequately heat iron so that it could be pounded into swords and other tools. Soon after, they apparently also discovered steel, an alloy of iron and carbon that is even stronger and potentially sharper than iron alone. Legend has it that the first steel formed when, in the heating and pounding process, blacksmiths left the swords-to-be on the charcoal a bit too long and some of the charcoal’s carbon fused into the iron. The effect would have been dramatic: under the right conditions, steeled iron can be twice as strong as bronze, the previous metal of choice.[3]

The main benefit of stainless steel in hinges is that the metal won’t rust, even when exposed to salt water and salt air, where a steel hinge alone would begin to rust within a year. This makes the metal ideal for boat hinges, or door hinges for your beachfront property.

For all its benefits, however, steel has some drawbacks as a hinge base when compared to brass and bronze. Stainless steel hinges are usually not aesthetic enough for general use, since they don’t take finishes. The way most other steel hinges are manufactured today, they are prone to corrosion. Painting steel can help make it last longer in a hinge. But when it comes to hinge finishes, popular ones like oil-rubbed bronze often look better on brass hinges or bronze hinges than on steel hinges.

So when you’re looking for a higher-quality hinge to spiff up your front door or add elegance to cabinets, you’re most likely looking for a brass hinge or bronze hinge, which will stand up better to weather and time than a steel hinge.

Around 3000 BC, however, Near Eastern coppersmiths began mixing copper with tin, creating the very first bronze. Bronze flowed more easily at lower temperatures, did not bubble, and in fact became even harder than copper when cooled.[8] The metal became important enough to have an era named after it: The Bronze Age. Today, bronze is used in the highest-grade hinges, usually still poured into molds and finished off by hand rather than mass-produced.

Brass, a mix of copper and zinc, was known to early civilizations, but did not enjoy the popularity of its bronze cousin largely because it was more difficult to produce. The Romans used it to a limited extent in coins and jewelry, but brass was not widely used until about the seventeenth century, when European woolmakers used brass pins in weaving. The corrosion-resistance that brass offers also made it an ideal material for clocks and navigational aids used at sea. Brass has become even more popular since technology to reliably mass-produce it was introduced in the nineteenth century.[9]

Hinge Finishes

       Polished Brass         Antique Copper           Antique English        Satin Nickel 

       Polished Chrome       Burnished Brass      Wrought Iron             Satin Brass

       Antique Brass      Rustic Bronze              Black Nickel              Oil Rubbed Bronze

For choosing the metal and finish of your hinge, I can't say it better than Tom Philbin, author of The Encyclopedia of Hardware (Hawthorne Books, 1978):

Confusion can reign when it comes to picking hardware according to the metal or finish used in making it. Following then, is some information that should clear things up.

Brass versus brass plated. Many hardware items are made of pure brass. Brass is a fairly soft metal, but it is weatherproof. It may be used inside or outside the house. It has to be used with care around salt water, however, because this can make it corrode. Brass plated is simply steel that has been coated with brass. It is not weather proof.

Bronze. This is also available in pure form, and as such is weatherproof. Items made of it can be used inside or outside the house. It does not corrode; indeed, it is often used in marine applications. Bronze is also a very strong metal.

Bronze Plated. Like brass plated, this is steel that is coated with bronze. Unlike pure bronze, however, it will not stand up to weather.

Galvanized. This is a special kind of finish applied to steel items. The galvanizing may be hot-dipped or coated-technically, electroplated. The hot dipped galvanizing is far the superior of the two. Both are weatherproof. Most outdoor items are galvanized.

Zinc or cadmium plated. These terms are really synonymous. It is a wash coating that is given to hardware that makes them rust resistant but not rustproof. Galvanized items are far superior to ones with zinc or cadmium finishes.

Blued. This is hardly a finish but just a treatment given to items to keep them from rusting in the box while waiting to be sold.

Japanned. This is a baked enamel finish, but only about as weather resistant as items that are blued.

Chrome plated. This is a highly polished finish used on cabinet hardware and many plumbing items. It is highly resistant to corrosion and quite good-looking.

Many items come with no finish at all—just a plain steel. Other items, however, such as bolts, are "oiled" (given a black oillike coating). In no way should oiled items be considered weather resistant.

In selecting [hinges], pay careful attention to the finish and metal used. While some are better than others, it is the final application that should count.

Whichever metal you choose for your hinge or hinge finish, however, you are benefiting from thousands of years of technological advances and discoveries!

Hinge Fabrication Methods

History of Hinges

Overview of Modern Hinges

HardwareSource Hinge Collection

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