How Much Does a Branding Iron Cost?

Not sure how much you should spend to get a good branding iron? A branding iron can cost anywhere from $69-$500, depending on a number of factors such as whether it is a torch-heated or an electric branding iron or the size of the stamp head.

The best branding irons also offer some nice features such as interchangeable branding heads to use different designs or food safe materials such as aluminum to brand your food. Learn all about what things you need to look for when buying a branding iron in our post.

3 Main Pricing Factors when Buying a Branding Iron

The main factors that have a direct impact on the price of a branding iron are:

• The type of branding iron: torch or electric heated.
• The size of the stamp/image: how big is your custom logo or signature?
• The material of the branding plates: you can usually choose between aluminum, brass or steel.

Below we’ll explore all that and much more.

Torch-Heated or Electric Branding Iron

When picking a branding iron, there are two primary models you can choose from: a torch- heated branding iron and an electric branding iron.

A torch-heated branding iron works by using an open flame to heat the iron until it’s hot enough to leave an impression. Since there are no internal mechanisms - neither electrical or of any kind- they should last a lifetime without any problems, as long as you take care of your iron to prevent things like rust and corrosion.

Electric branding irons use an electric current to provide heat through the iron. The electric mechanism provides an even heating temperature through the plate, which means all lines and edges will be almost perfect every time. If you're marking a number of products at once and want to get consistent results by just plugging in your tool, an electric branding iron is the way to go.

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How much do electric branding irons cost? Are they much more expensive than torch-heated branding irons? Electric branding irons have an electric heating component, which requires more assembly labor and engineering, and therefore they are more expensive than torch-heated branding irons. The wattage of your branding iron needs to be appropriate to the size of the plate, which means that the cost may also vary according to the size of your plate.

Size of The Stamps

When choosing the size of your plate, you need to consider the width and height of your logo. It is no surprise that the bigger the plate of a branding iron, the higher the cost will be. Larger images require more metal raw materials, machine time, and labor to create the custom brand.

The size of most standard plates is 2 inches x 1.5 inches, but it all depends on how big you want your logo, signature or message to be. Below is an example of the costs of a brass plate for a torch-heated branding iron depending on the size of the plate:

Gearheart make branding plates in brass and aluminum up to 25in² (for example: 5" x 5"). A plate bigger than that will be heavy and cumbersome to use, making it difficult to get an even mark.

When choosing your branding plate, you should also check whether they are interchangeable, so that you can create a plate with a new design and fit it into your existing branding iron. Your logo may change through the years or you may just want to create a second plate, for example, to brand your business information on the back of your furniture.

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Material of The Branding Plates

Another important factor to consider when buying a branding iron is the material of the plate. Most branding irons are made of brass, stainless steel or aluminum. Here is a brief overview of these three metals:

• Brass is almost indestructible, which means that you can heat your iron as hot as you want without worrying about damaging your plate.
• Stainless steel is also a good choice, and they work within a wide range of temperatures.
• Aluminum plates are more affordable, but this material can be damaged more easily than steel or brass at very high temperatures.

If you are looking for a piece of gear to do heavy and regular work, we recommend going for a brass or stainless steel plate - they are a bit more expensive than aluminum, but you shouldn't need to replace them since they are made to last forever-. Avoid getting a branding plate that is said to be made of “metal” without any further specification, or your branding iron may melt like goat's cheese.

Note: If you are planning to use your branding iron to mark food, you will need to use a food safe material such as aluminum.

Quality of Your Brand

Once your branding iron maker gets your artwork, they will be ready to cut the new plate for your custom branding iron. If you want to make sure that you are happy with your logo design, ask for a proof for your approval before they send it to you.

Gearheart proofs every single branding iron and sends a picture to their customers for approval, and this is how we give our customers what they want.

Read why Robert enjoyed every single aspect of choosing his branding iron with Gearheart:

"I normally don’t give a 5 star rating unless it’s truly deserved. However, my purchase here warrants it. Was super easy, upload my logo graphic, they made a sample and sent it, which was what I was looking for. Upon approval, they sent me my new iron, just in time to sign / burn my latest commission, a custom trestle table. Thanks Gearheart! Now I have colleagues inquiring about where I got my branding iron. Am happy to send them here".

Conclusion

In this article, we covered all you need to know about the different factors that affect the cost of a branding iron. Depending on what you would like to use your branding iron for and how often you expect to use it, you will need to consider whether you’d prefer a torch-heated or electric branding iron, as well as what design you’d like on it, which will affect the size of your plate, and then finally choose what material you’d like the plate to be made of.

Gearheart create custom-made branding irons to order, so no matter what your requirements are, we will make something perfect for you!