A medal has one job the day it is handed over and a different job for the ten years after. On the day it has to feel like a reward. Afterwards it has to be something the recipient does not throw away — and that is where material choice stops being cosmetic.
This was a run of 1200 wooden medals for a sports series, printed in full colour.
What wood does that metal does not
- It is warm. A zinc alloy medal is cold and heavy; wood is light and warm to the touch. For children’s events and amateur series this reads as friendly rather than institutional.
- It is the sustainability story without an asterisk. Plywood or bamboo is a renewable material, and there is no plating, no lacquer and no metal to explain. A recycled-zinc medal is a good product but a harder claim to make simply.
- It takes full-colour print directly. UV print goes straight onto the surface with no enamel filling and no doming, so complex logos, photographs and sponsor blocks all reproduce. On metal that same artwork needs soft enamel or a printed dome, and both cost more per piece.
- It is cheaper at volume than cast zinc alloy, and the gap widens as the diameter grows.
Where wood is the wrong answer
It has no weight. A championship medal that should feel substantial in the hand needs metal, and no amount of thickness makes plywood feel like an award. Wood also cannot do a cut-out shape with fine internal detail, and it cannot be plated gold, silver and bronze — three finishes that a podium usually needs. If the series has a podium, the honest recommendation is metal for the top three and wood for participation.
The ribbon is half the medal
Buyers spend all their attention on the disc and none on the ribbon, and then the ribbon is what everyone sees for the rest of the day. A sublimated ribbon carries full-colour artwork and sponsor logos along its whole length — often more visible branding area than the medal face. Width and length matter too: 22 mm is standard, 25 mm reads as more premium, and a ribbon that is too short sits awkwardly on an adult.
Planning numbers
- Minimum: from 100 pieces for printed wooden medals; metal casting starts higher because of the mould.
- Lead time: plan five to six weeks including artwork and a proof. Medal orders are always late because the event date is fixed and the artwork is not.
- Order spares. Categories change, entries change, and a medal missing at the ceremony is remembered.
Products used
Wooden Medals, Engraved or Printed · Custom Medals in zinc alloy and iron · Stock Medals for short lead times · Sublimation Printed Ribbons. Category: Medals, Trophies and Awards.
