Ironmongery finish codes decoded

At a glance

Codes as printed in three UK makers' finish keys read on 5 November 2026. They are shorthand, not a standard: confirm each against the key for the product you are buying.

A code is shorthand, not a standard

Every UK ironmongery catalogue carries a finish key, and most share the same few abbreviations. We found no British or European standard that defines them. The Door and Hardware Federation lists a guide, DHF 1032, “Metal finishes – trades descriptions for door and window hardware”, which sets out agreed ways of describing silver, gold, bronze and black finishes, for protection and for matching. The edition we found listed is dated 2008/09 and we could not read it, so ask your hardware supplier whether it follows it.

Three things go wrong in practice:

• Same letters, different words. BZP is “bright zinc plate” in two of the keys we read and “bright nickel plated” in a third, which lists zinc plate separately as ZP. Even a single letter moves: B is bright in BZP but brushed in BSS (brushed stainless) and BN (brushed nickel).
• Same finish, different letters. Satin chrome is SC in two keys, and one of those two also lists SCP as a separate entry. Satin nickel appears as SN, SNP, MN (matt nickel) and BN (brushed nickel).
• A code that stops short. PVD names a process and not a colour. BLK names a colour and not a gloss. SSS names a finish, and gives a grit only where the key does: one key says 320.

So the safe habit is to write the finish in words on the schedule, add the code as a convenience, and name the key it came from. The wording below does that. For how stainless finishes are coded and measured, see stainless finish codes.

What sits behind the letters

Two handles in the same colour can be built differently and wear differently, and the code rarely says which. Ask for the construction as well as the code.

• Solid stainless (SSS, PSS). The finish is the metal. The British Stainless Steel Association notes that stainless is homogeneous and does not depend on a surface plating for its corrosion resistance, and that specialists can mechanically polish or electropolish it again on site.
• Plated (SC, SN, PN, and “electro” brass). A layer of chromium, nickel or brass over a base metal. The US finish list describes its satin chrome as “satin chromium plated over nickel”. One hardware maker says a plated layer can tarnish, wear away or change colour over time.
• Lacquered brass (PBL, SBL, ABR). A clear film over polished or patinated brass. The Canadian Conservation Institute notes that lacquer is difficult to apply thinly and difficult to remove, and recommends a specialist for both. A US hardware maker tells owners never to use brass polish on lacquered brass unless they mean to remove the lacquer and refinish the part. See cleaning and maintaining metal finishes.
• “Bronze” and “antique”. In the key that explains them, old bronze, dark bronze and antique brass are electrobrass plated, patinated and lacquer sealed, and one entry is called “imitation bronze”. They are bronze in colour, not necessarily bronze alloy. Ask your supplier what the base is.
• PVD. A very thin hard film applied in a vacuum chamber. It follows the surface beneath, and Euro Inox notes that damaged coloured stainless cannot be repaired on site. See PVD coatings explained.
• Anodised aluminium (SAA, PAA). An oxide layer grown from the aluminium itself, not painted on. The colour range is narrower than for plated or PVD finishes, and it is a different metal from stainless.
• Powder coat (BLK, FMB, NST). A paint-like film over metal. The code gives neither the colour reference nor the gloss.

US numeric codes on imported hardware

Imported hardware may carry BHMA numbers from ANSI/BHMA A156.18 (Materials and Finishes) or older US numbers. The BHMA certificate listing we read, carrying a 2020 standard year, gives the descriptions below. They line up with the numbers on a US hardware maker's care sheet; the last column is our reading, not a published equivalence.

626 and 630 can look alike, but one is plated and the other is stainless, so they are different constructions. Never swap a numeric code for a UK letter code without an approved sample.

Writing the finish column

A hardware schedule that survives a change of supplier gives the finish in words first, the code second, the key third and the base fourth:

• Name the base. Solid or plated, and the stainless grade, drive wear and cleaning. Say whether brass is lacquered or left to age: that is the client's decision, taken in writing (see lacquered and unlacquered brass and copper).
• Match on a sample board, not on a name. The same code from two makers is two finishes. A hardware maker writing in a trade journal in 2025 advises one maker with a continuous range for a consistent look. Where items must match across makers, put the physical samples side by side under the project lighting.
• Write dual finishes in full. One key writes PB/SS for polished brass with stainless steel. Say which part is which finish.
• Colour on powder coat. Give a colour reference and a gloss, not just a word. See RAL, BS 4800 and NCS colour references.

Wet, coastal and busy doors

BS EN 1670 sets corrosion-resistance requirements for building hardware for doors, windows, shutters and curtain walling, graded 1 to 5 by a neutral salt spray test (EN ISO 9227), with grade 0 for no requirement (Standard Norge catalogue entry for EN 1670:2007). Ask which grade a product has been tested to, and the edition. Grade tells you how a finish copes with salt and damp. It does not tell you how it ages under hands.

For where each base metal suits, see which metal for which environment. For plated and coated thickness, see plating and coating thickness. Finish also changes the light reflectance of door furniture, which matters for accessible design: ask your supplier for the light reflectance value and take advice against BS 8300-2:2018.

Finish: [satin stainless steel], solid, grade [EN 1.4401 (316)], grain [along the handle]. Maker's code [SSS] per the [supplier] finish key, edition [date], key attached. Approved sample [ref. S-014] governs where code and sample disagree. Another maker's equivalent code is not accepted without written approval and a physical sample. All visible metal on door sets [D01 to D12] to match sample board [ref. __].

Finish: [satin chrome], chromium plated over [nickel] on a [brass] base, [lacquered / not lacquered]. Plating system and minimum thickness to be stated by the supplier: [ ]. Corrosion resistance to BS EN 1670 grade [ ], edition [ ]. Lacquer system and touch-up method to be stated: [ ]. Approved sample [ref. __].

Finish: PVD [brass], [satin], on [stainless steel], base finish [2J, vertical grain]. Colour reference sample [ref. __] from the coating house, with certificate number [ ]. Items from different makers to be matched to it under project lighting at [1] m before approval. No site repair: damaged parts to be replaced.

Standards and sources

• DHF 1032, Metal finishes: trades descriptions for door and window hardware: 2008/09; text not read.
• BS EN 1670:2007, Building hardware: corrosion resistance: scope from a catalogue entry; text not read.
• ANSI/BHMA A156.18, Materials and Finishes (BHMA): from a 2020 certificate listing; text not read.
• Euro Inox, Colouring Stainless Steel, Vol. 16 (2011)
• BSSA SSAS 7.20, Care and Maintenance of Stainless Steel (2001)
• CCI Notes 9/3, Brass and Copper (2007): museum-object guidance.
• Three UK ironmongery makers' finish keys; a US hardware maker's care sheet: read 5 Nov 2026; named in the working notes.

Questions we are asked

What does SSS mean on an ironmongery schedule?

Satin stainless steel, in every finish key we read. A key may add a grit (one gives 320), and brushed stainless (BSS) can be a separate entry, so write the finish in words and attach the key.

What does BZP stand for?

Bright zinc plate in two of the three UK keys we read, and bright nickel plated in the third, which lists zinc plate separately as ZP. Zinc plate is a protective finish for hidden parts. Always check the maker's key.

Is PVD brass the same as polished brass?

No. Polished brass is brass colour from brass or a brass plate, often lacquered, and it changes as it wears or ages. PVD brass is a brass-coloured vacuum coating, usually over stainless steel, that follows the surface beneath and cannot be repaired on site. Specify which one you mean.

Do finish codes match between manufacturers?

Not reliably. The common ones (SSS, PSS, SAA, PB) read the same in the keys we read, but BZP does not, one key lists SC and SCP apart, and "bronze" and "antique" names do not map one to one. Match by sample, not by code.

Can I use US finish numbers such as 626 or 630 on a UK job?

Only with a written description and an approved sample. 626 is satin chromium plated over nickel and 630 is satin stainless steel: different constructions. Convert to words, not to letters.

Which ironmongery finish suits a wet room or coastal door?

Ask the construction, not only the code, and ask for the BS EN 1670 grade the product has been tested to. Solid stainless of a suitable grade avoids a coating that can wear through. See the metal-by-environment sheet.