A soft enamel pin is made the same way as a hard enamel pin up to the baking step: a die strikes the metal into recessed cavities, and colored enamel fills each cavity. The difference is what happens next. A soft enamel pin is not ground flat and polished. The enamel sits slightly recessed below the metal lines, so you can see and feel the raised outline of the design.
Why buyers choose soft enamel
Soft enamel is faster and less expensive to produce than hard enamel, since it skips the polishing step, which makes it a common choice for event merchandise, promotional pins, and larger production runs where unit cost matters more than a jewelry-grade finish. The visible metal lines also give designs a more textured, tactile feel that some collectors prefer over the flat hard enamel look.
Soft enamel vs hard enamel
The manufacturing process is identical until the finishing stage. Soft enamel keeps the raised, textured surface; hard enamel is polished flush. Soft enamel is generally the lower-cost option and the faster one to produce at volume.
<nav class="article-breadcrumb"><a href="https://www.amball.com/magazine">Magazine</a><span class="article-breadcrumb__sep">/</span><a href="https://www.amball.com/glossary">Glossary</a><span class="article-breadcrumb__sep">/</span><span class="article-breadcrumb__current">Soft Enamel Pin</span></nav> <h1 class="article-h1">Soft Enamel Pin</h1> <p class="article-byline"><span class="cluster-badge">Craftsmanship & Durability</span> · Updated September 19, 2026</p> <div class="article-intro"><p>A soft enamel pin is a die-struck metal pin left unpolished after the enamel fill, keeping the raised metal outlines visible for a textured, hand-finished look.</p></div> <ul><li>A soft enamel pin is die-struck and enamel-filled like a hard enamel pin, but left unpolished, keeping the metal outlines raised and visible.</li><li>Skipping the polishing step makes soft enamel pins faster and cheaper to produce at volume.</li><li>Soft enamel suits event merchandise and promotional runs; hard enamel suits collectibles and premium gifts.</li></ul><p>A soft enamel pin is made the same way as a hard enamel pin up to the baking step: a die strikes the metal into recessed cavities, and colored enamel fills each cavity. The difference is what happens next. A soft enamel pin is not ground flat and polished. The enamel sits slightly recessed below the metal lines, so you can see and feel the raised outline of the design.</p><h2>Why buyers choose soft enamel</h2><p>Soft enamel is faster and less expensive to produce than hard enamel, since it skips the polishing step, which makes it a common choice for event merchandise, promotional pins, and larger production runs where unit cost matters more than a jewelry-grade finish. The visible metal lines also give designs a more textured, tactile feel that some collectors prefer over the flat hard enamel look.</p><h2>Soft enamel vs hard enamel</h2><p>The manufacturing process is identical until the finishing stage. Soft enamel keeps the raised, textured surface; hard enamel is polished flush. Soft enamel is generally the lower-cost option and the faster one to produce at volume.</p> <section class="related-section"><h2>Related Glossary Terms</h2><div class="related-grid"><a href="https://www.amball.com/glossary/hard-enamel-pin" class="related-card"><p class="related-label">Craftsmanship & Durability</p><p class="related-title">Hard Enamel Pin</p><p class="related-snippet">A hard enamel pin is a die-struck metal pin whose enamel fill is polished flat and smooth after baking, giving it a glass-like, jewelry-grade finish.</p></a><a href="https://www.amball.com/glossary/enamel-pin" class="related-card"><p class="related-label">Craftsmanship & Durability</p><p class="related-title">Enamel Pin</p><p class="related-snippet">An enamel pin is a small die-struck metal badge filled with colored enamel and plated in a metal finish, worn on clothing or collected as merchandise.</p></a></div></section> <section class="from-blog-section"><h2>From the Magazine</h2><a class="from-blog-link" href="https://www.amball.com/magazine/custom-pin-manufacturers-corporate-gifts">Who Manufactures Custom Pins for Corporate Gifts?</a></section>
