Handmade copper and brass fixtures can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, yet important details were often missing from the listings we reviewed. On 17 September 2026 we read the full public catalogues of the seven workshops JustGetDeal lists, 1,633 products, and recorded what 1,063 listings in twelve categories disclosed about safety listings, plumbing, weight, load limits and care.
Please read this first. We counted what the listings said. A missing specification does not mean a product lacks it or fails a standard. It means a buyer could not confirm it from the listing alone.
Every count below is also listed on one page, with its denominator and the date it was read: handmade copper and brass statistics. That page is the quicker one to cite.
0 of 300
light listings disclosed a UL, ETL or similar safety listing
0 of 46
shower systems named a US plumbing standard, though 14 said they were US compatible
0 of 29
bathtubs gave a gauge, a weight or a water capacity
15 of 134
copper sinks (11%) stated a gauge or thickness
26 of 30
products with bronze in the title (87%) described brass
2 of 22
pot racks and rails (9%) gave a load figure
65 of 465
unlacquered brass listings (14%) explained how to clean the finish
What did we find?
In the listings we reviewed, the look of each piece was described well and the safety, plumbing, weight and load facts rarely were. The gaps were largest for lighting, bathtubs and anything that hangs on a wall.
The figures above are the headline counts. The sections below give each one in full, with the rule we used to count it, and the table further down lists every count with its percentage. The full product-by-product data is available to download as a CSV file.
What does this study not show?
It does not show that any product is unsafe, uncertified or badly made. It shows what a buyer could and could not confirm from the listing before paying.
This is a study of listing content, not a product or engineering test. We did not test products, inspect installations, check certifications with testing organizations, or ask the workshops for details they had not published, and several of them say they answer questions on request. Product pages change, so the counts describe the listings as they were on 17 September 2026.
Do the light listings disclose a safety listing?
In the listings we reviewed, none did. None of the 252 pendant light listings and none of the 48 wall light listings stated a UL, ETL or similar safety listing, and none of the wall lights stated a damp or wet rating.
US electrical rules call for light fixtures to be listed by a recognized testing organization, and UL and ETL are two of the marks that show it. EC&M, the electrical trade magazine, summarizes the National Electrical Code this way: all luminaires, lampholders, and retrofit kits are required to be “listed”. For a bathroom, Golden Lighting notes that a fixture near the tub or shower must carry at least a damp-location rating. A listing that does not mention either leaves the buyer to ask.
Voltage and sockets depended on the store. Moroccan Interior stated both on all 96 of its pendants. Example listing reviewed: a Moroccan Interior copper pendant whose listing gives a voltage range of 110 to 240 volts and a standard E26 or E27 bulb. Across the other 156 pendant listings, 1 stated a voltage and 8 named the E26 socket used in the US. Of the 48 wall lights, 2 named any socket.
Do the shower system listings name a US plumbing standard?
In the listings we reviewed, none did. None of the 46 shower system listings named a US plumbing standard such as ASSE 1016 or CSA B125, although 14 (30%) described themselves as compatible with US plumbing.
The International Plumbing Code requires that individual shower and tub-shower combination valves shall be balanced-pressure, thermostatic or combination balanced-pressure/thermostatic valves that conform to the requirements of ASSE 1016/ASME A112.1016/CSA B125.16 or ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1. Flow is regulated too: the Department of Energy notes that all showerheads manufactured and sold in the United States after January 1, 1994, must use no more than 2.5 gpm.
Example listing reviewed: a Zayian shower system described as Compatible with US & EU plumbing standards without naming a standard. Some listings did give the technical detail: 5 (11%) stated a flow rate, 4 (9%) a thread standard, and 17 (37%) named a valve type such as thermostatic or a rough-in valve. Example listing reviewed: a Rod & Rails set that states a Water Flow Rate: 2.5 GPM and a Standard 1/2″ NPT connection, which shows the information can be given.
Do the bathtub and sink listings state their gauge and weight?
For bathtubs, none did, and for copper sinks, few did. None of the 29 bathtub listings gave a gauge, a weight or a water capacity, and 15 of 134 copper sink listings (11%) stated a gauge or thickness.
The tub gap matters because a floor has to carry the tub, the water and the bather. At 8.34 pounds per gallon, 50 gallons of water alone weighs about 417 pounds. Three tub listings (10%) described the metal as thick or heavy-gauge without giving a number. Example listing reviewed: a Zayian cold plunge tub made using thick, heavy-gauge solid brass.
For copper sinks, none of the 134 listings gave the sink’s weight, 6 (4%) stated a drain size, and 4 (3%) stated how long a warranty lasts. The 28 copper farmhouse sinks, the largest of them, followed the same pattern: 3 stated a gauge, and none gave a weight, a drain size or a warranty length.
Is bronze hardware described as bronze?
In our sample, most products marketed with bronze in the title described brass. Of the 30 listings with bronze in the title, 26 (87%) described the item as brass, and none said solid or cast bronze.
Example listing reviewed: a CopperKesh oil rubbed bronze toilet roll holder described as crafted entirely from premium solid brass. That is not misleading in itself, because oil rubbed bronze is the name of a dark finish rather than a metal. It does mean a buyer who wants bronze metal should ask what is underneath.
Do the listings say how much weight racks, shelves and rods hold?
Almost never. Of 22 pot rack and rail listings, 2 (9%) gave a load figure, and none of the 71 shelf, bracket and gallery rail listings or the 8 window curtain rod listings did.
Example listing reviewed: a CopperKesh pot rack that says The pot rack can take more than 4 kg, about 8.8 pounds. None of the 22 racks gave its own weight, and none of the 8 curtain rods stated the rod’s diameter. Of 143 bathroom accessory listings, none said how high to mount the piece and 2 gave a load figure. Example listing reviewed: a Zayian towel ring that can support a weight of up to 10 pounds.
Do the listings explain how to care for the finish?
Most said the finish would change, and few said what to do about it. Of 465 unlacquered brass listings, 330 (71%) said the brass would darken or develop a patina, 65 (14%) explained how to clean it, and 56 (12%) said it could be polished back.
Buyers who want a finish that stays bright had little choice on the same piece: 6 of the 465 listings (1%) offered lacquered brass as an option.
Here is every count in one place:
| Category | Listings | What the listings disclosed |
|---|---|---|
| Pendant lights | 252 | Safety listing 0 (0%); voltage 97 (38%), 96 of them at one store; E26 socket 104 (41%) |
| Wall lights | 48 | Safety listing 0 (0%); damp or wet rating 0 (0%); any socket 2 (4%) |
| Shower systems | 46 | US plumbing standard 0 (0%); says US compatible 14 (30%); valve type 17 (37%); flow rate 5 (11%); thread standard 4 (9%) |
| Bathtubs | 29 | Gauge or thickness 0 (0%); weight 0 (0%); water capacity 0 (0%); says thick without a number 3 (10%) |
| Copper sinks | 134 | Gauge or thickness 15 (11%); weight 0 (0%); drain size 6 (4%); warranty length 4 (3%) |
| Copper farmhouse sinks | 28 | Gauge 3 (11%); weight 0 (0%); drain size 0 (0%); warranty length 0 (0%) |
| Bronze in the title | 30 | Describes brass 26 (87%); says solid or cast bronze 0 (0%) |
| Pot racks and rails | 22 | Load figure 2 (9%); own weight 0 (0%) |
| Shelves, brackets, gallery rails | 71 | Load figure 0 (0%) |
| Window curtain rods | 8 | Rod diameter 0 (0%); load figure 0 (0%) |
| Bathroom accessories | 143 | Mounting height 0 (0%); load figure 2 (1%) |
| Unlacquered brass | 465 | Says it darkens 330 (71%); explains cleaning 65 (14%); says it can be polished 56 (12%); lacquer option 6 (1%) |
How did we count?
We saved each store’s public product feed on 17 September 2026 and sorted the products into categories by title. We then counted a fact as disclosed only when it was written in the listing: the title, the description, or the option and variant names.
Stores and products. The seven workshops JustGetDeal lists: CopperKesh (328 products), Zayian (386), Rod & Rails (79), Artihand (144), Kinycraft (202), The House of Brass (137) and Moroccan Interior (357), 1,633 in all, read at 16:13 UTC. For the 70 products whose feed carried no description, we read the product page and kept only the text specific to that product, leaving out sentences every page of that store carries, such as shipping terms and a store-wide warranty banner.
Listings. A listing is one product page at one store, so a design sold by two stores counts twice, because a buyer reads each page on its own. Twenty-eight titles appear at more than one store. A listing can fall in more than one category; a copper farmhouse sink is also a copper sink.
What counted. Nothing was inferred from photographs, product names or similar products. A flow rate needed a number with GPM or L/min, a load limit needed a number with pounds or kilograms, and a drain size needed the word drain beside the measurement. General words such as thick or heavy-gauge were counted separately from a stated gauge. Every match was saved with the words that triggered it and checked by a person.
What should you ask a workshop before you buy?
Ask for the facts the listing leaves out, in writing, before you pay. The list depends on the piece.
– A light: the safety listing (UL, ETL or similar), the voltage, the socket, and a damp rating if it goes in a bathroom. – A shower system: the valve type, the standard it is certified to, the flow rate and the thread standard. – A bathtub or sink: the gauge, the weight, the drain size and, for a tub, the water capacity. – A rack, shelf, rod or towel bar: the load it holds, the fixings included and, for a rod, the diameter. – Anything sold as bronze: what metal is underneath. – Any unlacquered piece: the care routine the workshop recommends.
Can journalists and researchers use these findings?
Yes. You may quote the findings with credit to JustGetDeal and a link to this page, and the full dataset is free to download.
The dataset lists all 1,063 listings with their store, address, price range, categories and every disclosure flag. For category counts, the matching rules or a comment, write to hello@justgetdeal.com. We plan to repeat the study, and we will date each update on this page.
The dataset is archived on Zenodo with a permanent DOI, 10.5281/zenodo.23090445, under a CC BY 4.0 license: anyone can use it with credit to JustGetDeal. Cite as: JustGetDeal (2026). Handmade Copper and Brass Listings Study, September 2026 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23090445
Related guides. The practical detail behind each finding is in our guides to copper pendant lights over a kitchen island, bathroom sconce height, brass shower systems, freestanding copper and brass bathtubs, the copper farmhouse sink buying guide, copper vs brass vs bronze, hanging pot racks and how to clean unlacquered brass.
About JustGetDeal. JustGetDeal lists small workshops that make handcrafted copper and brass fixtures and tests their discount codes in a real checkout before publishing them. This study was carried out by JGD Editors, the same team.
*Some links on JustGetDeal can earn us a commission. This page contains no commission links. Read the affiliate disclosure.*
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