Types of Custom Medals: Die-Cast, Enamel, Printed & More

You've decided your event deserves real recognition, not a generic ribbon or a paper certificate. You want a medal. But once you start researching, the options multiply fast: die struck, die cast, soft enamel, antique finish, shiny finish, UV print... and suddenly a simple decision starts to feel like a manufacturing degree. Whether you're searching for custom medals in Canada or placing an order from the USA, the options are the same, and so is the confusion. 

Here's the thing; understanding the different types of custom medals doesn't have to be complicated. Each type exists because different events have different needs. A marathon finisher medal and a military honor medal are both custom medals, but they serve completely different purposes and call for completely different production methods.

All the major types of medals worth knowing are covered here. What goes into making each custom medal, how it looks, and when it actually fits your situation. Whether you're ordering custom medals for events in Canada or anywhere in the USA, the options are exactly the same. Figure out the right medal type once, and the rest of the decision basically makes itself.

What Makes a "Type" of Custom Medal?

When people talk about the different types of Custom medals, they're usually referring to two things: the manufacturing method (how the medal is physically made) and the finish (how it looks and feels on the surface).

These two factors, method and finish, combine to give you the four main custom medal types you'll see in the market:

• Die Struck + Soft Enamel

• Die Struck + Antique or Shiny (metal only)

• Die Cast + Soft Enamel

• Die Cast + Antique or Shiny (metal only)

UV Printed medals have also picked up a lot of ground lately, mostly for designs that need photographic detail or gradient artwork that enamel simply can't pull off. Each option on that list looks different, gets made differently, and works better in some situations than others.

Here's what each one actually involves 

Die Struck Medals: The Classic Standard

Die striking is one of the oldest production methods in medal-making, and it's still widely used for a reason, as the results are clean, sharp, and consistent. It's a go-to for metal award medals where precision and durability are non-negotiable.

A hardened steel die gets pressed into a flat metal blank under high pressure, pushing the metal into the design and forming raised lines and recessed areas. Fine text, thin borders, detailed linework all get handled cleanly through die striking. Under the plating, the base metal is typically iron, copper, or brass, each carrying a slightly different weight and feel.

Die Struck Medals with Soft Enamel

This is the most requested finish for branded events, sports leagues, and award medals, and it's not particularly close.

After striking, each recessed area gets hand-filled with enamel paint and fired in a kiln. That process leaves the enamel sitting just below the raised metal lines, which is what gives it that tactile feel when you run a finger across the surface. The colors come out vivid, the contrast between the metal and the fill looks intentional, and the piece genuinely holds up with regular handling. 

Works well for custom sports medals, finisher medals, charity runs, employee recognition programs with logo requirements, and medals for sports events where color consistency across a large order matters. Soft enamel medals stay at the top of this category for a reason. The color saturation and contrast are tough to replicate any other way.

If you're ordering soft enamel medals for a recurring league or annual event, die struck is usually the most efficient production path. For one-off commemorative soft enamel medals, the same method holds up just as well.

Die Struck Medals with Antique or Shiny Finish

No enamel, no color, just metal. Without color in the mix, the design itself has to do all the work.

An antique finish uses a chemical darkening process on the recessed areas to create depth and contrast. The result has a heritage feel, which is formal, aged, and authoritative. A polished or shiny finish goes the opposite direction: bright, reflective, modern.

Both work well when the design is strong enough to carry the piece on its own without needing color fills.

Best for: Military honors, government awards, formal ceremonies, heritage events, metal award medals for institutional programs, and any recognition context where prestige matters more than color. These also work well as custom sports medals when the event calls for something more understated and as medals for sports events where the heritage aesthetic fits the occasion.

Die Cast Medals: More Freedom, More Dimension

Die cast medals start from a completely different place. Instead of pressing a die into flat metal, molten metal is poured into a custom mold. This unlocks design options that die striking can’t replicate, deeper relief, 3D sculpting, cutout shapes, layered elements, and truly complex geometry.

If your design has depth to it, if it looks like something sculptural rather than flat, custom die cast medals are a strong option.

Die Cast Medals with Soft Enamel

Same principle as the die-struck enamel version, but with far more dimensional depth.The enamel fills recessed areas that can go deeper and more complex than die striking allows, which adds real weight and presence to the finished piece.

These work especially well when the design is the main event. A mascot, a landmark, a 3D emblem. That combination of sculpted form and vibrant color produces something that looks noticeably different sitting next to a flat medal.

Works well for complex custom award medals, large format finisher medals, die cast medallions for commemorative programs, and any artwork that has genuine depth or dimension to it.

Die Cast Medals with Antique or Shiny Finish

Same production method, no enamel. The antique finish works especially well here because the deeper recesses in a die cast medal create more dramatic contrast when darkened. The sculpted detail reads much more clearly.

The shiny/polished version gives a bright, premium feel that suits corporate and institutional contexts well. Custom die cast medals with a polished finish are a strong choice when the metalwork itself is carrying the visual weight, and die cast medallions in particular carry that look well given their dimensional weight.

Works well for premium recognition pieces, corporate award medals, and sculpted designs where the metalwork is doing most of the visual work.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals: What's Actually Going On

This trips people up more than it should. When you order gold, silver, and bronze medals for a competition, you're not actually getting three different metal types.

All three medals share the same base metal, whether that's iron, copper, or brass depending on the production method. What differs is the plating applied at the final stage. Gold, silver, and bronze are plating finishes, not raw materials.

In practice you can order one consistent design across all three placements and just swap the plating. That's how it's typically done for sports tournaments, swim meets, gymnastics competitions, and track events, and it keeps the look consistent across every placement tier without any extra complexity.

This also affects how you care for medals over time. The plating layer, not the base, is what shows wear if medals are stored improperly or exposed to humidity. Brass in particular tends to hold plating better than the alternatives.

Gold, silver, and bronze medals make the most sense for any competition that runs placement rankings. For medals for sports events specifically, they're the standard across tournaments, leagues, swim meets, academic competitions, and skill-based awards where what's being recognized is relative achievement, not just participation.

UV Printed (Full-Color Printed) Medals

UV printed medals serve a specific purpose. Once you know what that is, you know pretty quickly whether they're the right call.

UV printing puts full-color artwork directly onto the metal surface, similar to how a high-resolution photo gets printed. No enamel, no texture; the surface stays flat and the detail is photographic. Gradient colors, detailed artwork, and complex illustrations that enamel simply can't pull off all come through cleanly with UV print.

Artists, nonprofits, and community events have leaned into this option because of that. If a logo or design depends on subtle color transitions or illustrative detail, UV print does what enamel can't.

The one trade-off is texture. That tactile feel you get from enamel and die struck metals isn't there. The finish is flatter, and depending on the context, that either matters or it doesn't. And if you want that 3D dimension alongside it, UV print works just as well on a die cast medal, so you get the color detail and the depth in the same piece.

Works well for artistic designs, highly detailed logos, community events, custom award medals for creative industries, and any design where color accuracy and complexity are the priority over dimensional texture.

How the Ribbon Plays Into It

Worth mentioning before wrapping up, because the ribbon is often what people notice first, before the medal face even registers.

Standard ribbon options come in single colors, but full-color custom medal ribbons let you match your brand, add a pattern, or print text directly on them. It's an affordable add-on in the overall custom medal process and the difference shows. A personalized medal with a matching custom ribbon reads as a finished, deliberate package. A great medal on a generic ribbon reads as an incomplete one.

Choosing the Right Type for Your Event

Here's a simple way to narrow it down:

Is color central to your design? Go with soft enamel, either die struck or die cast depending on the complexity of the artwork.

Is the design relatively flat with clean lines? Die struck is likely the more efficient choice.

Does your design have real depth, 3D elements, or complex geometry? Die cast gives you more to work with.

Is the context formal, heritage-oriented, or institutional? Antique finishes, on either method, read more authoritatively.

Are you awarding first, second, and third place? Gold, silver, and bronze plating on a consistent design is the standard approach.

Does your design have photographic detail or gradients that enamel can't replicate? UV print is probably the right call.

Are you ordering for multiple recipients at the same event? Consider whether individual engraving makes sense; adding a name or date to the back turns a great custom medal into a personalized one.

A Note on Ordering Custom Medals in the USA and Canada

Lead times, duties, and shipping expectations vary more than people expect, and it usually depends on who you're ordering from and where they're actually fulfilling orders from.

For anyone buying custom medals for events in Canada or the USA, a supplier who ships domestically to both markets removes a lot of headaches, especially on a tight deadline. Bulk custom medals are where this matters most. One customs delay can derail your whole timeline without much warning. Standard production across most custom medal types runs around 12 to 15 business days from proof approval, so building that into your event calendar early is a smart move rather than an afterthought.

Free shipping thresholds, die fees, and proof turnaround times are worth asking about before placing the order. Small things that add up and affect both the final cost and whether you actually hit your date. For custom medals in Canada specifically, the first thing to confirm is whether your supplier is fulfilling domestically or routing through cross-border shipping.

Wrapping Up

The type of custom medal you choose shapes how the award feels to the person holding it and how long it stays on their shelf instead of in a drawer. Die struck medals bring precision and sharpness. Die cast medals bring dimension and sculptural depth. Enamel brings color to life. Antique finishes bring weight and formality. And UV print brings design freedom for artwork that pushes beyond what metalwork alone can do.

None of these is universally better. The right one depends entirely on your event, your design, and what you want the recognition to communicate. Now that you know the difference, that decision should feel a lot more straightforward.