Buttons: types, materials and sizes explained

Polyester button

Also called: polyester button — buyers default to poly button; quoted as POLY on cost sheets

Material & process: Unsaturated polyester resin, poured as a cast sheet and cut on a die
Sizes: 14L–40L; 4-hole, 2-hole and shank
Typical use: Shirts, suits, womenswear, kidswear — the highest-volume button type

Buyer pitfall: Takes faux horn, imitation shell, pearl, mixed-colour and rainbow effects. The classic pitfall is batch-to-batch shade drift: control it with a lab dip per colour and a Delta E limit, and keep the approved dip for repeats.

Urea button

Also called: urea button — heat-resistant grades are marked heat-resistant

Material & process: Urea moulding powder, compression moulded (one of the few button types with a real steel mould)
Sizes: 14L–30L
Typical use: Shirts and uniforms — heat- and wash-resistant

Buyer pitfall: Withstands hot ironing without melting, and cracks less in machine washing than ordinary plastics — the safe choice for garments that pass through a pressing line.

Zinc alloy button

Also called: zinc alloy die-cast button / alloy button; also called die-cast button

Material & process: Zinc alloy, die-cast
Sizes: Custom logos and deep relief
Typical use: Suits, coats, branded logo buttons

Buyer pitfall: Nine steps: artwork approval → model engraving → EDM → die-casting → grinding → barrel or rack plating, spray or epoxy. Multi-layer epoxy work carries roughly 15% loss — quote it in rather than absorb it.

Brass button

Also called: brass button (buyers rarely say copper)

Material & process: H62/H65 brass strip, stamped
Sizes: 14L–40L
Typical use: Workwear, denim, military-style garments

Buyer pitfall: Nine stamping steps; every plated lot goes through salt-spray testing before it ships, because a brass button that rusts in the carton is a claim, not a finish problem.

ABS button

Also called: ABS button / plated plastic button

Material & process: ABS
Sizes: Takes gold and gunmetal plating
Typical use: Fast fashion, kidswear, basics

Buyer pitfall: The plating is the weak point — plating lifting after industrial washing is the most common complaint on this type. If the garment goes through heavy wash, say so before sampling.

Nylon button

Also called: nylon button — heat-resistant grades marked heat-resistant nylon

Material & process: PA66
Sizes: Heat-resistant grades available
Typical use: Shirts, workwear

Buyer pitfall: Withstands 150 °C and above — the default choice where garments run through automatic pressing equipment.

POM button

Also called: POM button — acetal; the trade also writes acetal button

Material & process: POM (acetal)
Sizes: High-gloss surface
Typical use: Bags, outerwear

Buyer pitfall: Self-lubricating and wear-resistant, with surface hardness that resists scratching — chosen where the button face takes abrasion.

Shell button

Also called: mother-of-pearl (MOP) button; trade terms by shell type: trocas, Akoya, river shell

Material & process: Trocas, Akoya, river shell, white-lip and black-lip mother of pearl, abalone
Sizes: 14L–32L
Typical use: Premium shirts, suits, womenswear

Buyer pitfall: Natural pattern cannot be repeated. Plan for 15–20% blanking loss (up to 30% on carved shapes); shell is not recoverable, so the quotation must carry the loss instead of rediscovering it at bulk.

Coconut button

Also called: coconut shell button

Material & process: Coconut shell
Sizes: 18L–32L
Typical use: Casual wear, coats, linen-and-cotton looks

Buyer pitfall: Deep brown natural mottling that grows more lustrous with washing — a good match for washed and garment-dyed programmes.

Corozo button

Also called: corozo button — buyers say corozo or tagua nut; also called vegetable ivory

Material & process: Tagua palm nut
Sizes: 18L–36L
Typical use: Suits, coats, eco ranges

Buyer pitfall: Dyes well and is nearly as hard as shell — the mainstream natural-material choice for eco-certified programmes in the US and EU.

Wood button

Also called: wood button

Material & process: Beech, birch, bamboo-wood
Sizes: 14L–32L
Typical use: Casual wear, kidswear, cotton-linen ranges

Buyer pitfall: Moisture content must be controlled against cracking; dyed wood buttons for kidswear need saliva-fastness testing on the stain, not just on the button.

Horn button

Also called: real horn button. Imitations must be written imitation horn / horn-effect — mixing the two on a spec sheet is a misrepresentation

Material & process: Water buffalo and ox horn
Sizes: 18L–40L
Typical use: Suits, coats, premium menswear

Buyer pitfall: Every button's pattern is unique. Faux horn is a cast-resin rod-pattern button — keep horn and imitation horn apart in English, and price real horn per blank because yield varies by horn tip.

Bone button

Also called: bone button

Material & process: Ox bone
Sizes: Custom
Typical use: Premium denim, retro looks

Buyer pitfall: Requires quarantine and fumigation documents, and CITES-related checks for some destination markets — start the paperwork before sampling, not at shipping.

Stone button

Also called: natural stone button — buyers also say gemstone or semi-precious stone button

Material & process: Natural stone and marble
Sizes: Custom
Typical use: Premium womenswear, accessories

Buyer pitfall: Brittle material — drilling loss is high, so the yield is priced into the blank cost, not discovered there.

Bamboo button

Also called: bamboo button

Material & process: Bamboo
Sizes: 16L–30L
Typical use: Cotton-linen ranges, zen-style designs

Buyer pitfall: A strong eco story; needs anti-mould treatment so the claim survives a container shipment.

Fabric-covered button

Also called: fabric-covered button / self-fabric button — covered in the buyer's bulk fabric

Material & process: Buyer fabric over an aluminium or POM blank
Sizes: 18L–45L
Typical use: Womenswear coats, wool outerwear

Buyer pitfall: Repeats need reserved bulk fabric. Flag the fabric reservation at PO time — a repeat without cloth cannot match the original.

Leather button

Also called: leather button

Material & process: Genuine leather / PU
Sizes: 24L–40L
Typical use: Leather jackets, coats, menswear

Buyer pitfall: Genuine leather buttons need Cr(VI) (hexavalent chromium) testing — a standard restricted-substance line for anything tanned.

Metal logo tag

Also called: metal logo plate / branded metal tag / jeans label

Material & process: Zinc alloy / brass
Sizes: Custom shape and logo
Typical use: Branded outerwear, bags

Buyer pitfall: Two-hole and double-faced constructions; plating plus epoxy is the most common combination. Attach by rivet or sew-hole to match the garment's wash.

4-hole button

Also called: 4-hole button

Material & process: Available in every button material
Sizes: 14L–40L
Typical use: Shirts, knitwear, kidswear

Buyer pitfall: The most secure stitching pattern — four points of attachment hold through industrial wash better than any other construction.

2-hole button

Also called: 2-hole button

Material & process: Available in every button material
Sizes: 14L–36L
Typical use: Shirts, casual wear

Buyer pitfall: Faster sewing than 4-hole; the standard construction on volume shirting programmes.

Shank button

Also called: shank button — tech packs often write shank back

Material & process: Available in every button material
Sizes: 18L–40L
Typical use: Coats, suits, thick fabrics

Buyer pitfall: Shank height must match fabric thickness: too low and the button bites the placket, too high and it snags. State the shank height in the tech pack, not just the diameter.

Snap button / press stud

Also called: snap button / snap fastener (US) — press stud (UK); sized in ligne: 14L, 16L, 20L

Material & process: Cap (S) + socket (D) + spring + base
Sizes: 488# (10 mm), 486# (12 mm), 484# (14 mm), 405#, 406#
Typical use: Jackets, shells, down coats, kidswear

Buyer pitfall: Opening force 10 N/20 s or 17 N/10 s depending on the standard used, and always tested on the actual garment fabric — a snap that passes loose-cloth testing can fail on heavy cloth.

Prong snap button

Also called: prong snap / prong ring snap — kidswear orders always carry a pull test

Material & process: Brass, stamped — five prongs pierce the fabric
Sizes: 111#, 222#, 333#, 444#, 555# … 101010#
Typical use: Kidswear, onesies, underwear

Buyer pitfall: Attachment pull testing is mandatory for kidswear — a detached prong snap is a safety recall, not a cosmetic defect.

Sew-on snap

Also called: sew-on snap — also called hand-sew snap

Material & process: Brass / stainless steel
Sizes: 5#–19#
Typical use: Underwear, shirt plackets, thin fabrics

Buyer pitfall: Sewn on, so nothing pierces the fabric — the choice for delicate cloth where a prong would show or tear.

Jean button

Also called: jeans button (also written jean button) — the shank button for denim

Material & process: Copper cap riveted to an aluminium base
Sizes: 17 mm / 20 mm / 23 mm and up
Typical use: Jeans, denim jackets

Buyer pitfall: A failed shank is a full-batch rejection. The most common loosening point is the washed, abraded waistband — run pull sampling on it, not just on the flat sample.

Rivet

Also called: rivet — the jean rivet sits at denim pocket corners; cap rivet = domed face

Material & process: Copper cap + base pin
Sizes: Domed, reverse-domed, capped, single-hole
Typical use: Denim pocket corners, workwear

Buyer pitfall: Cap rivets take a logo on the face — the smallest branding real estate on a garment, and the one laundries attack hardest.

Eyelet / grommet

Also called: eyelet (small) — grommet (large, US); UK buyers say eyelet for both

Material & process: Brass; round-edge, pressed-edge, flat, oval, mesh, double-faced
Sizes: 2#, 3#, 4#, 5#
Typical use: Hoodie drawcord holes, shells, curtains

Buyer pitfall: Hoodie cord holes always need a washer to stop the fabric tearing out — and the cord length itself falls under EN 14682 drawcord rules.

Interlocking buckle

Also called: swimwear clip / bikini clasp

Material & process: POM / zinc alloy
Sizes: Swimwear and lingerie connectors
Typical use: Swimwear, lingerie, halterneck styles

Buyer pitfall: Insert-withdraw cycle life is the spec that matters — the clip fails by wear, not by load.

Belt loop

Also called: belt loop — also called trouser loop

Material & process: Self fabric / webbing
Sizes: ≈5–8 mm wide, folded edge
Typical use: Waistband fixing on jeans and trousers

Buyer pitfall: Stitch failure after washing is the most common minor complaint — bartack count matters more than loop width.

What does L mean in button sizes?

L stands for ligne, the trade unit for button diameter: 1L = 0.635 mm. A 14L button measures about 8.9 mm across — a small shirt button; 24L is about 15.2 mm — a coat button. The full conversion table is on our standards page.

How many pieces are in a gross?

One gross (G) = 144 pieces. Button MOQs are normally quoted in gross, per size and per colour — so a MOQ of 115 G at 14L means 16,560 pieces of that one size in that one colour.

What is the difference between polyester and ABS buttons?

Polyester is a thermoset: poured as a cast sheet and cut on a die, heat-tolerant, and able to carry horn, shell and pearl effects through the full thickness. ABS is a thermoplastic that takes metallic plating well, but the plating is the weak point — it can lift after industrial washing.

How do I tell real horn from imitation horn?

Real horn shows a unique, irregular pattern on every button and feels cool to the touch; imitation horn is cast resin with a controlled rod pattern, consistent from button to button. The spec sheet must state which one is being bought — writing horn when the goods are resin is a misrepresentation.

Why do shell buttons cost more than resin buttons?

The material is natural and unrecoverable: blanking carries 15–20% loss, up to 30% on carved shapes, and no two buttons share the same pattern. Resin is poured to size with controlled shade, so its yield is near total.

What opening force should a snap fastener hold?

Common acceptance lines are 10 N/20 s or 17 N/10 s, depending on which test standard the buyer specifies. The force must be measured on the actual garment fabric — a snap that passes loose-cloth testing can fail on heavy cloth.

Which buttons are safest for kidswear?

Anything that can detach needs attachment pull testing: prong snaps on onesies are pull-tested per lot, and buttons are torque- and small-parts-tested. Lead content also has legal limits — CPSIA sets 90 ppm for US childrenswear coatings.

What is the difference between an eyelet and a grommet?

They are the same part in different sizes: in US trade, grommet means the larger hole and eyelet the smaller; UK buyers say eyelet for both. Hoodie drawcord holes should always carry a washer to stop the fabric tearing out.