The common materials of faucets include copper, stainless steel, ceramic, plastic (PVC), alloy (zinc alloy/iron carbon alloy), etc. Among them, copper and stainless steel become the mainstream choice due to durability, safety and antibacterial properties, while plastic and alloy materials are gradually eliminated from the market due to low cost or defective processes. 

Mainstream material characteristics comparison

Copper faucet.

Advantage: natural antibacterial (inhibition rate of more than 98%), corrosion resistance, wear-resistant (wear and tear of stainless steel is only 1/7), and the process is mature. Note: You need to choose lead-free or low-lead products (lead content ≤ 1.8%) to avoid the heavy metal precipitation problem of poor-quality copper. 

Stainless steel faucet.

Advantage: lead-free, acid and alkali corrosion resistance, high hardness (toughness is 2 times that of copper), high water quality safety. 

Limitations: processing difficulties lead to higher costs, and relatively single style. 

Ceramic faucet.

Characteristics: beautiful appearance, no rust, but fragile and expensive, suitable for scenes with special needs for design. Other materials and market status

Plastic (PVC) faucet: lightweight and corrosion-resistant, but poor durability (easy to age, whistling sound is obvious), mostly used for short-term or temporary scenes. Alloy faucet: zinc alloy/iron carbon alloy has been phased out by the industry due to internal sand holes, easy cracking and heavy metal risks. 

Cast iron faucets: basically withdrawn from the market due to rusting and pollution of water quality.