My Chemical-Free House

A Guide to Creating a Healthy Home

Lead-Free Hardware (For Cabinets, Drawers, Doors)

Published: November 4, 2023 |

Unfortunately, lead is common in hardware including knobs, pulls, and door knobs.

Based on testing from Tamara Rubin, we have learned that so many knob materials contain lead that it’s impossible to make generalizations about which metals will be lead-free.

However, through her testing, through the reputation of a few select companies, and with a couple of select materials that are unlikely to contain lead, I have a few options to recommend.

A Prop 65 warning could indicate lead (usually found in brass and also in many other metals as well as ceramic/porcelain), nickel (found in nickel finishes and stainless steel), cadmium (found in brass and ceramic glazes), mercury (found in some metals), antimony (found in leaded crystal/glass), or chromium (found in chrome).

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Bronze and brass door knobs
Table of contents

Lead-Free Options

Home Depot Defiant Brandywine Collection Stainless Steel Finish Door Knob Set. Tested lead-free in all accessible components by Tamara Rubin in 2019 (source).

Defiant Doorknob Lock & Handle Set, Naples Collection. Tested lead-free in all accessible components by Tamara Rubin in 2019 (source).

Kwikset sliver-colored door handle, no SKU or way to precisely identify it, tested lead-free by Tamara Rubin in 2019 (source).

If a product mentions that it has Microban – please see this article.

Not Likely To Contain Lead (I would use these)

1. IKEA has been lead-free with all their products for a long time now (based on XRF testing by Tamara Rubin and Natural Baby Mama and the company’s statement).

They seem to be really reliable on this matter.

I would trust all knobs/pulls/hardware from IKEA. They say all products are free of lead, which should include their brass.

2. Acrylic Plastic Pull from Signature Hardware, and other acrylic plastic options would not likely contain lead.

3. Wooden Cabinet Knob from Signature Hardware, and all other wood and rattan options would not likely contain lead.

4. Wood and Rattan drawer knobs would not likely contain lead.

5. Defiant brand doorknobs – based on the testing of two of these in 2019 (above) there is a good chance this brand’s door knobs in nickel and stainless steel are all lead-free.

6. House of Antique Hardware makes a couple of lead-free crystal knobs, according to the company. However, the brass components would very likely contain lead.

7. Hardware International says “We guarantee that all of our cabinet hardware products are made from lead-free solid bronze.”

8. Oak And Forge (UK) makes lead-free pewter knobs and handles, according to the company.

Can Contain Lead

1. Brass – it’s possible to make brass without lead but the vast majority of brass out there does contain high amounts of lead.

Coatings on the brass can stop the transfer of lead but they do also wear down with time.

2. Chrome – chrome doesn’t usually contain lead but if the metal is not 100% known it can.

A knob that looks like chrome from the photo can contain low levels of lead (source).

3. Nickel – does not usually contain lead but “nickel-plated” products can have brass underneath which tends to contain lead, often in high amounts (source).

It’s also possible for something just labeled nickel to contain lead (source).

4. Stainless Steel – stainless steel is often lead-free but it can contain lead.

5. Matte Black Finish – it’s possible for a matte black finish to contain a low amount of lead (source) or mercury (source).

Black “iron look” door handles can also be positive for lead (source).

6. Glass Crystal Knobs – leaded glass is still used for knobs, and it’s not necessarily only in the vintage style (source).

It’s also possible that the metal or brass components could contain lead (like this one).

7. Ceramic/Porcelain– as I saw in my own XRF testing of tiles, ceramic coatings can definitely contain lead.

Tamara has also tested a few ceramic knobs that tested positive for lead.

It is also possible for ceramic to be totally free of lead. Bright colors like blues and reds are more likely to contain lead.

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Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.

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Comments

  2. Annette Cunniffe

    Hi Corinne, the Kwikset, Tulsi brand for door knobs/handles now say that they have antimicrobial technology on it which is labeled Microban. What are your thoughts on this and is this something that stays on the handles or comes off after time?

    Thank you

    Reply

  4. dki

    Hi Corrine — the Kwikset handles on Tamara Rubin’s site (which one commenter identified as Tustin) — we got these from Home Depot and the latch bolt is brass. This part gets a lot of wear and tear hitting the strike plate, so I am returning them. (Home Depot’s specs do not mention brass and in the photo, the latch is a different metal — definitely not what I received)

    We have not had that issue with Schlage satin nickel handles or locks, even tho Schlage sends their locks with brass keys still…which fortunately we don’t need because smart locks are the way!

    Reply

  5. Carla Henderson

    Hi Corinne,
    I’m building a “healthy home” and looking for door knobs or levers/cabinet pulls and levers for all doors and cabinets in my new home. Would you agree that PVD finishes are the cleanest — ie, safe from lead, heavy metals/any other toxic elements? I want a handle or lever that is clean but also one that is substantial feeling. I like black or pewter colors in particular. A post last year discussed Linnea hardware, do you recommend their PVD finished products?
    Thanks for any guidance you can offer!
    Carla

    Reply

    • Corinne Segura, Building Biologist

      the black ones have the epoxy coating, yes non-toxic and corrosion resistant as long as the coating stays intact

      Reply

      • IKEA handles

        Thanks. This house also has silver metal door handles that have green corrosion/rust spots on them. I’m not sure what type of metal the silver handles are. What could the green spots be and could that be absorbed through the skin when touching the handles? I probably need to replace those too. Thanks!

        Reply

  7. Clark

    Hi,

    After spending days and a ridiculous amount of hours looking online researching this topic, I came across a brand called Linnea (https://linnea-home.com). They make stainless steel hardware including knobs/levers and pulls. While definitely not inexpensive, they utilize PVD to color their products. We purchased their satin brass pocket door locks and pulls, and while not the best method, used a generic 3M lead test bought at Home Depot to test it. It came back negative, so we kept them. In the future, I plan on renting an XRF analyzer from a local company in SoCal to go through our house thoroughly, and will happily send along any results whenever I do this.

    I had even emailed/called the company asking if the PVD coating had any heavy metals (the stainless steel is also visible if you scratch the door handle hard enough – not ideal but still beautiful pieces). The rep I both emailed and spoke with on the phone was not well versed so they reached out to their product team, and ultimately came back with a general “no, no lead”. I never received a letter or written email confirming from any knowledgeable individual at the company, so to anyone reading this, take from that what you will.

    For us, we REALLY wanted the brass color but with kids in the house, we ultimately decided the cost was worth the peace of mind.

    Now if only they made faucets…

    Reply

    • Carla Henderson

      Hi Clark,
      I found your post very helpful. I’m building a “healthy home” and want door handles and pulls that don’t contain lead or heavy metals. Since this post, did you receive any written info from Linnea (like an MSDS) showing their PVD finishes have no harmful substances on them? I like their black colored PVD finishes, and from what I can tell, PVD finishes seem to be the healthiest finishes but I would feel more comfortable seeing this in writing as I need door handles and cabinet pulls for my entire new home. I appreciate whatever further insights you or Corrine could offer on this subject.
      Thanks so much!
      Carla

      Reply

      • Clark

        I haven’t done the XRF testing yet for our home and the Linnea door knobs I purchased, so cannot attest to their lead/heavy metal content yet other than the stick test I did previously. I also bought the MGS faucets that were recommended on Corinne’s website, and will say they are a dead ringer in color to the satin brass Linnea door knobs. I’m about to pull the trigger on the Linnea kitchen cabinet pulls too. The MGS faucet will show scratches to the stainless steel underneath if not somewhat careful. But this makes me think that since the processes are the same (PVD on stainless steel), and materials used by both companies are likely similar, they might be the best bet if you’re looking for “gold” satin brass colored fixtures.

        I researched the Linnea company a bit more and they were started outside of Portland, OR where I used to live and where Tamara from Lead Safe Mama is also from. Portland is frequently synonymous with healthy/eco living and it made me happy to see that. So again, take from that what you will.

        What really stinks is how expensive all of these things are. If you don’t need gold colored fixtures, I recommend choosing anything else off of other XRF tested recommendations. If we ever sell our house, these are coming with us! Best of luck to you all, and I will follow up when I do the testing sometime in the summer. I apologize that this isn’t very helpful, but did not want to leave you or anyone else reading this hanging. I’ll email Linnea again to see if I can get a clearer response.

        Reply

        • Carla Henderson

          Hi Clark,
          Have you received any rely from Linnea since your last post? I’m not looking for a gold finish, but rather satin nickel;, black or stainless steel finish and one that is clean without heavy metals! I don’t want a living finish living so close to the ocean.
          Thakns,m
          Carla

          Reply

  8. Anya

    Hi Corinne, I know you mention in the article the knobs/pulls/hardware from IKEA (potentially with the exception of brass) should be lead free. Would this mean that their black steel/solid iron rod with a powder coating on it are also lead-free?

    Reply

  9. Sarah

    Glass! They have a large selection of glass knobs that are very reasonably priced at D. Lawless Hardware (brick and mortar store and also online). Another bonus to glass knobs is you can disinfect them using rubbing alcohol w/o any risk to the finish.

    Reply

  10. Leslie Vergara

    Hi Corinne,

    What do you do out and about if you touch a doorknob that looks to contain bass and you can’t wash your hands immediately? Is that one exposure going to cross contaminate personal items like a car? Thank you

    Reply

  11. Sabrina

    Just as a point of clairifcation, Waterstone products are made with “lead free brass,” which is not the same as zero lead. It still contains lead, in the amount of 0.25%, which is quite a lot. This is why I rejected their faucets for my home. It’s deceptive advertising on Waterstone’s part, and so I can’t really trust the company.

    https://wieland-chase.com/c69300-eco-brass/

    We do love the glass knobs from House of Antique Hardware! They’re so beautiful. But now I’m wondering if the bolts themselves are brass with a nickel finish…or actual nickel! Ack! I’ll ask.

    Reply