Furniture knobs made from cast metal can contain high amounts of lead. Adding lead can improve the machinability of the metal and make the product feel heavy. The levels of added lead in knobs can be quite high, in the tens of thousands of parts per million and well above lead limits for children’s products (90-100 ppm) in the United States.
This knob is from a dresser we purchased from Grain Wood furniture in 2022. We found their customer service to be super responsive to our questions. We were easily able to get information about VOCs in their finishes. The company produces solid pine wood furniture in Brazil and states they practice renewable forestry. The pine is finished with wood veneers and not PVC laminates. Unfortunately, the drawers are not soft closing or dovetailed like more expensive solid wood furniture, but for a price of less than $500 shipped we graciously accept these limitations.
Reading on the Metal Knob:
| Element of Interest | Parts per million (ppm) | Error Range |
|---|---|---|
| None Detected | ||
| Other Elements | ||
| Copper (Cu) | 310,048 | +/- 655 |
| Zinc (Zn) | 689,532 | +/- 992 |
| Bromine (Br) | 83 | +/- 11 |
| Manganese (Mn)* | 66 | +/- 42 |
The sample was tested in consumer goods TestAll mode using a Niton XL3t 700S for 60 seconds. Results are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Test Summary:
The knob is non-detect for elements of interest.
For those who are curious, we randomly screened several other components that came with the dresser, including the wood veneer finish and painted metal drawer glides, and lead was not detected in those samples either.
For reference, we don’t expect to find lead in paint on newer wood furniture because there are federal restrictions on lead in painted coatings on consumer furniture made 1978 and newer (excluding metal furnishings). Those restrictions decreased from 600 to 90 parts per million in 2009. New acrylic furniture stains are typically going to be non-detect for lead using XRF. However, we steer clear of vintage furniture with PVC elements like fake wood veneers. Sometimes lead has been added to the plastic laminate.
Older and antique furniture made with paints and stains can contain higher levels of lead and painted coatings above 600 ppm lead and those coatings pose an “unreasonable risk of lead poisoning,” per the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Lead was historically added to paint to improve durability and antique stains may contain lead to improve drying time.
If you need to buy a new piece of furniture for your bedroom or kid’s room, we might suggest an option by Grain Wood Furniture. Not only are they affordable but the wood is responsibly sourced and the country’s customer service was excellent. They also produce dining room furniture and desks.
We appreciate that the company is conscientious about their materials and finishes and the furniture is made of pine block wood and not MDF, chip board, or PVC laminated coatings.
For general non-toxic considerations, we like furniture made with solid wood, low or no VOC finishes, sustainable materials, adhesives that are low or free from formaldehyde, and lead-free knobs or pulls.
We Prefer:
We prefer knobs made without high lead or other leaded components. We avoid ceramic or painted components without testing because the glaze or paint may be high in lead. We avoid cast brass and bronze. Natural wood and stainless steel are good options for knobs and light, hollow metal knobs without the ubiquitous Prop 65 warning that are sold by major retailers located in California are unlikely to test high in lead.
We do not believe consumer products like knobs with very trace heavy metals will meaningfully impact health. We avoid buying high lead furniture components for homes because we want to reduce the manufacturing demand for products made with toxic heavy metals and children frequently use these products in the home.
Better Furniture:
Disclosure: These are Amazon affiliate links. By shopping for any item on Amazon starting with our links, you help support our business and testing.
Grain Wood Furniture Shaker 6-Drawer Dresser, Walnut
Why we like it: Here is the dresser with the knob that we tested above.
Grain Wood Furniture Greenport 6-Drawer Dresser, Brushed Driftwood
Why we like it: Here’s another example of a dresser from the same manufacturer. The style is a modern driftwood.
Disclaimer: These items have not always been personally tested by us but are likely to be lead free or low lead and/or cadmium based on our research into the materials, discussions with manufacturers, and/or testing on similar products. We recommend items we would use ourselves.
We provide our XRF testing for general educational or informational use only, to help consumers identify low lead and lead-free products. We hereby disclaim any and all warranties, expressed or implied, and assume no duty or responsibility with respect to how any person or entity uses the information on this website.