Brass Kitchen Handles: A Guide to Cupboard Handles and Knobs

Supplied by Trade Door Handles, trusted UK supplier of architectural ironmongery since 1976, with quick nationwide delivery.

Brass kitchen handles are one of the quickest ways to change the look of a kitchen. Swap chrome bar handles for warm satin brass, or plain knobs for antique brass cup handles on the drawers, and the whole room feels different. This guide explains the brass finishes, the types of handle and knob, how to measure and which sizes to choose, using the Heritage Brass kitchen range by M.Marcus.

We help customers plan kitchens every week at our Kendal and Carlisle showrooms, where the brass finishes are on display side by side, so the advice below comes from the trade counter rather than a catalogue.

Quick answer: for a painted Shaker kitchen, choose satin brass or antique brass. For a dark green or navy kitchen, polished brass gives the most contrast. For a kitchen that ages with you, choose unlacquered brass. Measure the centres of your existing holes before you order, and you will not need to drill new ones.

Heritage Brass kitchen and cabinet hardware is made from solid brass by M.Marcus, a British manufacturer established in 1940. The range covers over 3,000 cupboard handles, cabinet knobs, cup handles, edge pulls, flush pulls and catches.

• Solid brass has a weight and quality you notice every time you open a drawer.
• The same finishes run across door handles, window furniture and kitchen handles, so a kitchen can match the doors into the room.
• Many designs come as both a pull handle and a matching knob, so you can use knobs on wall units and handles on drawers.
• Pull handles come with four M4 bolts (two 25mm and two 40mm), and knobs with two (25mm and 38mm), to suit different door and drawer thicknesses.

A soft, brushed gold with a low sheen that shows fewer fingerprints. It is one of the most popular kitchen handle finishes and suits painted kitchens and soft contemporary schemes. See the satin brass kitchen handles.

Bright, mirror-like gold that brings warmth to dark green, navy and painted Shaker kitchens. It is lacquered, so it keeps its shine without polishing. See the polished brass kitchen handles.

Polished brass with a bronze patina partly removed by hand, so each handle has its own mix of shades, protected by a clear lacquer. Antique brass kitchen handles suit farmhouse and period kitchens. See the antique brass kitchen handles.

Solid brass with no lacquer, so it mellows to a warm patina with use, with the most handled areas changing first. You can polish it back or let it age. See the unlacquered brass kitchen handles.

Matt bronze is a dark, warm finish that suits painted Shaker kitchens, and rose gold kitchen handles are made by electroplating copper over solid brass, giving a soft pink gold. For more on how each finish ages, read our solid brass finishes guide.

Brass pull handles include bar, D, T-bar and drawer pulls, with fixing centres from 57mm up to 480mm. Popular designs include Metro, Bauhaus, knurled and hammered pulls. Our cabinet pull handles guide covers the styles in more detail.

Brass cabinet knobs are the classic partner to brass cupboard handles. They come in round, square, hexagon, ball, reeded, knurled and porcelain designs, most in 32mm and 38mm. See our cupboard knobs guide for help choosing.

• Brass cup handles are curved pulls you hook your fingers under, a traditional choice for drawers on Shaker kitchens.
• Edge pulls fit over the top or side edge of a door or drawer for a near handleless look.
• Brass T-bar handles are single point pulls that work on both doors and drawers.
• Flush pulls sit in a recess so nothing sticks out, which suits sliding doors and wardrobes.

Brass cupboard handles are sized by their fixing centres, also called centre to centre (CTC): the distance between the centres of the two bolt holes. To replace existing handles, measure between the centres of the holes on the back of the door and choose the same CTC, and you will not need to drill.

Where	Suggested size
Wall and base cupboard doors	96mm to 160mm pull handles, or 32mm to 38mm knobs
Small drawers	Cup handles, small pulls or 32mm knobs
Wide pan drawers	192mm to 320mm pull handles
Tall larder doors	192mm to 320mm pull handles
Dressers, vanity units and furniture	Smaller knobs and drawer pulls

Popular metric sizes are 96mm, 128mm, 160mm, 192mm, 256mm and 320mm, and traditional imperial sizes include 76mm, 101mm, 152mm, 203mm and 254mm. If you are fitting a new kitchen, many people use one size throughout, or a longer size on drawers.

1. Choose the finish first, based on the colour of the units and worktops.
2. Decide on knobs, brass cupboard handles or a mix. A common approach is knobs on wall units and cup handles or pulls on drawers.
3. Measure existing fixing centres, or choose sizes for a new kitchen from the table above.
4. Pick one design family so pulls, knobs and cup handles match.
5. Match the room: Heritage Brass makes door handles and window furniture in the same finishes, so the kitchen door can match the cupboards.

• Wipe with a soft, damp cloth and dry off, especially near the sink and cooker.
• Do not use metal polish or abrasive cleaners on lacquered brass, as they damage the lacquer.
• Unlacquered brass can be polished back with a brass polish whenever you want the shine back.
• Kitchen sprays can mark finishes, so spray the cloth rather than the handle.

• Order one handle first if you are unsure of the finish, and look at it against your units in daylight.
• Check door and drawer thickness. The two bolt lengths supplied cover most kitchens, but very thick fronts may need longer bolts.
• Mixing brass finishes in one kitchen rarely works. Use one finish and vary the handle type instead, for example brass cupboard handles on doors and cup handles on drawers.
• Send us a photo of your kitchen and the measurement between your existing holes, and we will help you choose.