DEV Community: WangFuk Factory

Metal Coins for Your Board Game: A Practical Spec Guide for Kickstarter Designers

WangFuk Factory — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:20:37 +0000

How to choose size, weight, finish and artwork for metal coins and tokens, and how to plan sampling before your campaign goes live.

By the WangFuk team

Few upgrades get backers talking like a handful of heavy metal coins. Swap cardboard chits for metal and your game's economy suddenly feels real, with a satisfying clink on every trade. It's no surprise metal coins have become a go-to deluxe add-on for crowdfunded games.

They're also easy to get wrong. A coin that's too thin feels cheap, a coin that's too big won't fit the insert, and artwork that looks great on screen can blur once it's struck in metal. Here are the decisions indie designers usually face, in the order you should make them.

1. Start with gameplay, not looks

Before you sketch a single dragon, answer three questions:

How many denominations must players tell apart at a glance? Two or three values are easy. Five or more need help from size, color, or both.
How many coins sit on the table at once? Hoarding games need smaller, stackable pieces. Six victory tokens can afford to be big and showy.
Where do the coins live in the box? Measure your insert now and let that space set the diameter and thickness.

2. Size, thickness and weight ranges

Most board game coins fall within a fairly narrow band:

Low-value / high-count coins: 20–25 mm diameter, 2–2.5 mm thick
Mid-value coins: 25–30 mm diameter, 2.5–3 mm thick
Showpiece tokens: 32–40 mm diameter, 3–4 mm thick

Weight comes from volume times material density, minus whatever the relief removes. As a rough guide for zinc alloy, a 25 × 2.5 mm coin lands around 8 g, a 30 × 3 mm coin around 13–14 g, and a 38 × 3.5 mm token in the mid-20s. Brass is roughly a quarter heavier at the same size. These are ballpark physics figures, so weigh real samples before you commit.

Keep size steps between denominations at 3–4 mm or more. Smaller differences are hard to read across a table.

Not sure which metal to pick? This comparison of zinc alloy, brass and iron for board game coins covers the trade-offs in weight, detail and finish.

3. Choosing plating and finish

Finish gives your coins their personality, and it's also your best tool for telling denominations apart.

Antique bronze or copper fits fantasy, historical and steampunk themes. The darkened recesses make relief detail stand out.
Antique silver has a "found treasure" look and sits well beside bronze in the same set.
Gold (shiny or antiqued) is the natural top-value finish. Use it sparingly so it still feels special.
Two-tone plating, such as a gold center with a silver ring, adds a premium touch and helps players separate values without relying on size.
Color fill in the recesses can support colorblind-friendly designs when it's paired with distinct symbols.

A classic three-tier set uses one front design in antique bronze, silver and gold, with a different numeral on each. It's simple, readable and true to the theme.

4. Artwork tips that survive the mold

Coins are a relief medium, so you're designing in height as well as line.

Supply vector files (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) and note which areas are raised and which are recessed.
Keep lines and gaps around 0.3 mm or wider. Hairlines tend to fill in during plating.
Go big and bold on text. Small serif lettering blurs, while bold sans-serif stays crisp.
Add a raised rim to protect the face from wear and give the coin a clean edge.
Design both sides, and ask about plain, reeded or patterned edges.

The factory should send back a 2D technical proof showing dimensions, relief levels and plating callouts. Check it closely, because problems are easiest to fix at this stage.

5. Sampling: plan for it before launch

The most common mistake is promising delivery dates from a render before a physical sample exists. A sensible sequence looks like this:

Send a brief with sizes, quantities per denomination, finishes and artwork.
Approve the 2D proof. Expect one or two rounds of revisions.
Receive pre-production samples in every finish you plan to offer.
Weigh them, stack them, fit them in your insert and play a full game.
Photograph the real samples for your campaign page.

If your game targets families, ask your supplier for material test reports against standards such as EN71-3 or ASTM F963, and build that time into your plan.

6. MOQ thinking for small runs

Molds are a one-time investment per design. Sharing one front design across several denominations and changing only the numeral or finish keeps the number of molds down. Many factories now accept small first orders, sometimes 50–100 pieces per design. That works well for prototypes, reviewer copies or a modest deluxe tier, and the same molds can be reused when your backer count grows.

For more on quantities and how campaign schedules line up with production, see this guide to MOQ and timeline planning for Kickstarter metal game coins.

Final checklist

Coin sizes set from real insert measurements
Clear size or finish steps between denominations
Vector artwork with readable lines and text
A physical sample in hand before the campaign page is final
Test reports requested if younger players are in your audience

Get these right and your coins will be the component backers keep picking up. For inspiration on shapes and finishes, browse these examples of custom metal game tokens.

About the author: The WangFuk team runs an OEM/ODM factory in Dongguan, China, making custom metal coins, dice, miniatures and other board game components alongside metal gifts and accessories. Learn more at wangfuk.com.

Planning Custom Challenge Coins or Lapel Pins: A Step-by-Step Guide for Companies, Clubs and Events

WangFuk Factory — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:18:36 +0000

From picking a size to approving the artwork proof, here's how to plan a coin or pin project that arrives on time and looks the way you pictured it.

By the WangFuk team

A well-made challenge coin or lapel pin does something a printed thank-you card can't. People carry it, trade it, and pin it to a jacket they wear for years. Companies use them to mark anniversaries, clubs use them as membership tokens, and event organizers hand them out as keepsakes.

Most people order one only every few years, so the process feels unfamiliar each time. This guide walks through the decisions in order so you can brief a manufacturer with confidence.

Step 1: Decide what the item is for

Recognition or awards call for weight and presence. A thicker coin, antique plating and a detailed back design suit this.
Membership or team identity works best as a pin people wear every day, so keep it small, light and clear.
Event giveaways need to be produced reliably on a fixed date. Simple, bold designs with fewer colors reduce risk.

Unsure between a coin and a pin? Coins live in pockets, on desks and in display cases, while pins go on lapels, lanyards, caps and bags.

Step 2: Choose the size

Challenge coins are commonly 38–50 mm in diameter and about 3–4 mm thick. Smaller coins feel like tokens, while 45 mm and up gives you room for detail on both sides. Shaped coins, such as shields, dog tags or logo outlines, are possible too.

Lapel pins usually fall between 20 and 30 mm on the longest side. Below about 18 mm, text becomes hard to read. Above about 35 mm, a pin starts to feel more like a badge.

A quick trick is to print your design at a few sizes, cut them out, and hold them against a jacket or in your palm.

Step 3: Pick a finish that matches the design

These are the finishes you'll come across most:

Soft enamel: Color sits in the recesses below raised metal lines, giving a textured, tactile surface. It's versatile, vibrant and popular for both coins and pins.
Hard enamel (cloisonné-style): Enamel is filled level with the metal lines and polished flat for a smooth, jewelry-like look. It's especially durable for pins worn every day.
Baked lacquer: A painted color fill that suits bright, flat graphics, and it's often paired with a protective coating.
Epoxy dome: A clear resin layer over the surface that protects the colors and adds a glossy, slightly raised look.
Rubber (soft PVC) fill: A flexible, slightly matte color fill. It gives an unusual soft-touch feel on coins and a modern look on some pins.
Antique plating: Bronze, silver, gold or copper plating with darkened recesses that brings out sculpted 3D detail. This is the classic choice for military-style and commemorative coins.

You can combine them. A coin might have an antique bronze 3D relief on one side and soft enamel color on the other. A pin might use polished gold lines with hard enamel fill. For a closer look at plating and how it pairs with enamel, this overview of challenge coin plating options is a useful reference.

Step 4: Prepare artwork and review the proof

A clear sketch or logo is often enough for the factory to redraw the design, but the better your brief, the fewer revision rounds you'll need. Include:

Your logo in vector format, if you have one
Pantone color references
Text exactly as it should appear, double-checked for spelling and dates
Notes on what should be raised, recessed, 3D sculpted or colored

The manufacturer will return a digital proof showing the dimensions, color callouts, plating and line structure. Have someone outside the project read it too, and check names, years and small text with extra care. Once the mold is cut, changes mean starting over.

Also confirm the details that are easy to overlook: the edge style for coins (plain, rope or diamond-cut), the back attachment for pins (butterfly clutch, rubber clutch, magnet or locking pin), and packaging such as poly bags, velvet pouches, coin capsules or backing cards.

Step 5: Build your timeline backwards

Most delays come from starting too late, so work back from the day you need the items in hand:

Shipping and customs: Allow time for international transit and clearance.
Production: Plating, coloring, polishing and packing usually take a few weeks after sample approval.
Sample approval: Request a physical sample if the project is high-profile or uses unusual finishes.
Mold making: This starts once the proof is signed off.
Proof revisions: Plan for at least one or two rounds.

Ask for a realistic schedule at the quoting stage and add a buffer for public holidays. For a fixed event date, starting two to three months ahead is comfortable.

Step 6: Think about quantity sensibly

Molds are made once per design and can usually be reused for reorders, so a second batch is quicker than the first. Many manufacturers accept small first orders, sometimes 50–100 pieces per design, which suits clubs and one-off events. If you're planning several versions, such as different years or ranks, ask whether a shared design with changeable details could reduce the number of new molds.

Bringing it together

A good coin or pin project comes down to a clear purpose, a sensible size, finishes that suit the artwork, a carefully checked proof and a timeline with room to breathe. If you'd like to compare styles before you brief a supplier, these galleries of custom challenge coins and enamel lapel pins and badges show how different finish combinations look in practice.

About the author: The WangFuk team runs an OEM/ODM metal accessories factory in Dongguan, China, producing custom challenge coins, lapel pins, medals and keychains for organizations worldwide. Find out more at wangfuk.com.