Hoosier Cabinets

Many times when you see a description for a brass product you will see terms such as stamped, cast, wrought and extruded.  We receive many inquiries from people wanting to know what these terms actually mean. 

These are terms used to describe how the product was manufactured.  They also will tell you in what ways the product can be used.  For example, some stamped brass back plates for restoration drawer pulls are thin enough to be flexible and mold to a bowed drawer front.

Stamped:
Stamping is a metalworking process by which sheet metal strips are punched using a press tool which is loaded on a machine press or stamping press to form the sheet into a desired shape. This could be a single stage operation where every stroke of the press produce the desired form on the sheet metal part, or could occur through a series of stages.  Click here for an example of stamped restoration hardware.

Cast:
A metal-forming process whereby molten metal is poured into a cavity or mold and, when cooled, solidifies and takes on the characteristic shape of the mold.  Click here for an example of cast restoration hardware.

Wrought:
Wrought is the process of forging or hammering the raw product into shape.  This can be done by hand with a hammer or with a stamping press where the material is pounded into it’s form.  Click here for an example of wrought restoration hardware.

Extruded:
Extrusion is a manufacturing process used to create long objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile. A material, often in the form of a billet, is pushed and/or drawn through a die of the desired profile shape. Hollow sections are usually extruded by placing a pin or piercing mandrel inside of the die, and in some cases positive pressure is applied to the internal cavities through the pin. Extrusion may be continuous (producing indefinitely long material) or semi-continuous (producing many short pieces). Some materials are hot drawn while others may be cold drawn.  Click here for an example of extruded restoration hardware.