For over a century, Häfele has worked with cabinet makers and furniture manufacturers, creating individual components that improve production, performance, and the customer experience. Justin Crofts, Category Manager at Häfele UK, explains how this experience has helped create its own brand hinge range, Metalla.
For furniture manufacturers, the value of a hinge extends far beyond its purchase price. It can affect production consistency, stockholding, fitting time, final adjustment, aftercare and the way the finished product performs over many years of use. These considerations have shaped the development of Metalla, Häfele’s own brand range of hinges.
Designed to deliver more
Creating Metalla was a global project across Häfele and involved eight years of market evaluation, technical review, collaboration, and testing. The development team looked closely at how hinges are used across different markets, where manufacturers share common requirements and where existing products can add cost or complexity without delivering a real benefit for customers. The result is a range designed to combine reliable performance, functionality and commercial benefits.
Our newest addition to the range is Metalla 540, a 110-degree concealed hinge that offers enhanced adjustment, features and exceptional finish quality – but critically for customers, at a more accessible price point.
One of the most useful functions is the soft-close switch. The closing action can be turned on or off at each individual hinge, which is particularly helpful on larger or heavier doors fitted with several hinges, where soft-close action can sometimes become too strong. This flexibility also simplifies stockholding, as manufacturers don’t need to stock and store separate soft-close and non-soft-close options.
In development, we have also focused closely on fitting and adjustment. Metalla 540 has a 12mm drilling depth, with height, side and depth adjustment. The centre-mounted adjustment screw remains accessible through the hinge, so the door can be aligned without repeatedly repositioning the mounting plate.
There is also a choice of cruciform and linear mounting plates. The cruciform version has four fixing holes for added stability, while still supporting a standard two-screw installation. The linear version sits behind the hinge, which reduces the amount of visible metal inside the cabinet.
Testing is another area we focused on during the development process, meaning Metalla 540 meets FIRA Level H requirements, has been internally tested to 200,000 opening cycles and comes with a 25-year warranty.
Margin without sacrifice
By combining optional functionality, straightforward adjustment and robust testing, we have created a product that reflects the daily needs of furniture manufacturers, but just as importantly in today’s market, is that Metalla 540 delivers all of this without the premium price point. This means manufacturers can make meaningful margin improvements without sacrificing performance, quality or reliability.
