What we make it from

We work in metal, plastic, paper and card, wood, fabric, acrylic and silicone, and we count a line here only where we state the material on it. It matters for a plain reason. Two picture hooks at the same price hold different weights, and the one worth buying names its material.

Material	Lines that state it	Share of range
Metal	311	26.8%
Plastic	283	24.4%
Fabric	205	17.7%
Wood	162	14.0%
Paper	130	11.2%
Stainless steel	126	10.9%
Acrylic	60	5.2%
Silicone	59	5.1%
Glass	37	3.2%
Ceramic	17	1.5%

Counted only where the product states the material. Where a line does not say what it is made of, we leave the material blank.

Where the percentages stop short

We count a line in this table when we name the material on it, and on a good many we do not. Reading a material off a photograph is guesswork with a percentage sign after it, so we leave those lines out of the count instead. That is the whole reason the column does not reach a hundred.

What each material means on our shelves

Material	What to expect
Metal	Hooks, brackets, anchors, screws and picture wire. The shelf where the stated material decides how much weight the thing is meant to take, so it is worth reading here more than anywhere else.
Plastic	Storage boxes, clips, cake toppers, hair sectioning tools, favour cups. Light, cheap by the piece, and the reason a bag of fifty costs less than one metal fitting.
Fabric	Bunting, table covers, bandanas, hair ties, felt shapes. Folds into nothing, comes out creased, and is nearly always bought by the set.
Wood	Craft blanks, beads, plant supports, cake picks. Takes paint and glue, and forgives being dropped on a kitchen floor.
Paper and card	Napkins, plates, tags, gift boxes, garlands. The part of a party that leaves in a bin bag, so it is bought by the count and not by the item.
Acrylic and glass	Display stands, frames, jars and ornaments. The finish that photographs well and travels badly.
Silicone	Moulds, seals, grips and pads. Flexible where the rest of an assembly is not, and usually the part that perishes first.