How to Identify A Faucet Brand

When repairing an old faucet, it is critical to know the brand name and if possible, model number to find a correct replacement part(s).

There is no such thing as a generic replacement when it comes to faucets because many, if not all, manufacturers vary the length of stems, spline counts and cartridge shapes that makes each faucet unique.

Identification Methods

Fortunately, there are several ways of identifying the faucet brands. Depending on the condition of your original faucet, you may have to use multiple methods to identify the correct parts:

• Manufacturer logo or Model number
• Spline (teeth) count on broach
• Stem length
• Cartridge length and shape

Manufacturer Logos

The quickest solution is to look for the manufacturer’s logo or name.

Name or model of a brand can be found pretty much anywhere so it is helpful to clean your faucet handles, escutcheon, spout, decorative rings, etc.

Information can also be found on the inside of a handle so make sure to thoroughly examine all parts under bright light (or flash light).

Some faucet manufacturers may include a model number but without a logo, this can be bit tricky to decipher, depending on the naming convention.

Teeth (spline) count

In older houses, it is common that you can’t find an identifying brand logo, name or model number on the faucet itself. In this case, you will need to remove the broken part.

You most likely will be able to obtain the correct replacements parts by first removing the faucet stem and count the number of splines on its broach. Also, measure the length of the stem from top to bottom.

The broach is atop the faucet stem, resembling a shape of a small-toothed gear. The purpose of the gear’s splines is to fit inside the female end of a faucet handle to control the opening and closing of faucet valve.

Using this method, you can narrow down the choice to a few possibilities.

• 4 point square broach – Milwaukee, Royal Brass, Speakman, Sterling, American standard, Chicago, Concinnity, Gerber, Price Pfister, Symmons, Zurn
• 8 point broach – Briggs
• 12 point .335″ broach – Crane Dialeze, Michigan Brass, Wolverine.
• 12 point .375″ broach – Arrowhead, Artistic Brass, Harcraft, Glauber, Price Pfister, Scoville, Universal Brass.
• 12 point .39″ broach – Bradley, Elkay, Fisher, Sears, Universal Rundle.
• 12 point .415″ broach – Symmons.
• 12 point .485″ broach – Crane, Symmons.
• 15 point broach – Santec, Savoy, Wolverine.
• 16 point .360″ broach – Gerber, Sayco.
• 16 point .370″ broach – Acme, American Standard Cadet & Colony, Barnes, Burlington, Central Brass, Concinnity, Eljer, Glauber, Harden, Kohler Trand, Milwaukee, Newport, Phylrich, Royal Brass, Scoville.
• 16 point .40″ broach – Sterling.
• 17 point broach – American Brass, Mansfield, Midcor, Phoenix, Streamway.
• 18 point broach – Briggs, Indiana Brass, Union Brass.
• 20 point .285″ broach – Broadway, Concinnity, Danfoss, Dornbracht, Eljer, Grohe, Jado, Kohler, Milwaukee, Paul.
• 20 point .415″ broach – Broadway, Speakman, T & S Brass.
• 22 point .375″ broach – American Standard old 3/8″.
• 22 point .438″ broach – American Standard current 7/16″.
• 38 point broach – Import, Pegasus, Glacier Bay.
• D Broach – Delta, Milwaukee, Universal Rundle, Valley.
• Oval Broach – Delta, Moen, Mixet.

Manufacturer Contacts

• Acorn
• Altmans – http://www.altmansproducts.com/ ; 800-678-6463
• American Brass – http://www.americanbrass.com/ ; 800-431-6440
• American Kitchen
• American Standard – http://www.americanstandard-us.com/ ; 800-442-1902
• Aqua Brass – http://www.aquabrass.com/
• Arrowhead
• Artistic Brass – Out of production, parts are available; 800-251-2390
• Barnes
• Blanco – http://www.blancoamerica.com/ ; 888-668-6201
• Bradley Cole
• Briggs – http://www.briggsplumbing.com/
• Broadway Collection – 800-449-9180
• California Brass
• Central Brass – http://www.centralbrass.com/
• CHG – http://www.saniguard-online.com/ ; 800-526-3694
• Chicago – http://www.chicagofaucets.com/ ; 708-803-5000
• Coast – http://www.coastfoundrymfg.com/
• Crane – http://www.craneplumbing.com/
• Danze Globe Union American Corp. – Tech Support 1-888-328-2383 ; [email protected]
• Delta/Delex – http://www.deltafaucet.com/ ; 800-345-DELTA (3358)
• Dick Brothers
• Dornbrach – http://www.dornbracht.com/
• Eljer – http://www.eljer.com/
• Elkay – http://www.elkayusa.com/
• FEBCO – http://www.febcoonline.com/
• Fisher – http://www.fisher-mfg.com/
• Franke – www.frankeksd.com/
• Gerber – http://www.gerberonline.com/ ; Technical Support: 888-648-6466; Customer Service: 866-538-5536
• Glacier Bay (Home Depot house brand) – customer Support (336) 945-5580
• Glauber
• Grohe – http://www.groheamerica.com/ ; 630-582-7711
• Hans Grohe – http://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/
• Harcraft
• Harden
• Huntington Brass – http://huntingtonbrass.com ; 800-888-6604
• Indian Brass
• Jado – http://www.jadousa.com/ ; 800-227-2734
• Kohler – http://www.kohler.com/ ; 800-456-4537 or 920-457-4441
• Kohler Briggs
• Lefroy Brooks – http://www.lefroybrooks.com/
• Leonard
• Midcor
• Michigan Brass
• Michigan Princess
• Milwaukee
• Moen – http://www.moen.com/ ; 800-Buy-Moen (1-800-289-6636)
• Muller
• Newport Brass – http://www.brasstech.com/
• Nibco – http://www.nibco.com/
• Peerless – http://www.peerless-faucet.com/repair.htm ; 317-848-1812
• Pegasus – 888-328-2383
• Perlick Corp.
• Phoenix Faucets – http://phoenixfaucets.com/
• Phylrich – http://www.phylrich.com/
• Powers – http://www.powerscontrols.com/
• Price Pfister – http://www.pricepfister.com/ ; 800-732-8238
• Pubco
• Queen City
• Royal Brass
• Savoy
• Sayco – http://briggsplumbing.com/sayco-faucets
• Scoville
• Sepco
• Sign of the Crab – http://www.signofthecrab.com/
• Sloan – http://www.sloanvalve.com/
• Speakman – http://www.speakmancompany.com/ ; (800) 537-2107
• Sphinx
• Steamway
• Sterling – http://www.sterlingplumbing.com/ ; 800- STERLING (783-7546)
• Sterling Brass
• Symmons – http://www.symmons.com/products/products.html
• Sysco
• T & S Brass – http://www.tsbrass.com/
• Union Brass
• Universal Rundle
• Valley – http://www.zurn.com/valley/Valley.htm
• Waterworks – http://www.waterworks.com/
• Watts – http://www.watts.com/
• West Brass
• Wolverine – http://www.wolverinebrass.com/
• Zurn – http://www.zurn.com/

Final Words

I highly suggest that you take this information and call your local plumbing supply stores. Large box retailers will have some parts but if your part is brand-specific, you will have a far better chance at getting the right parts from a plumbing supply store.

Also note that a given plumbing supply store may deal with one or two particular brands so be prepared to contact several stores.

If you are able to locate a similar part but the spline count does not match, you may also want to consider swapping out the handles.

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Thanks and good luck with your project!