Metal or plastic light switch
Updated: October 2026
The white plate by the door looks tired next to a brushed-steel socket you have already fitted. Metal changes three things the photograph hides: where the earth has to land, how the colour reads in daylight, and whether fingerprints or scratches become the new complaint. Buy a metal face only when a circuit protective conductor is there to land on the plate. If you are still choosing 1-way or 2-way, do that on the [1-way or 2-way light switch](/hub/electrical-equipment/light-switch-sockets/sub/light-switch-sockets-1-way-or-2-way) page first. Prices are on the [light switch sockets comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/light-switch-sockets).
The white plate by the door looks tired next to a brushed-steel socket you have already fitted.
The white plate by the door looks tired next to a brushed-steel socket you have already fitted. Metal changes three things the photograph hides: where the earth has to land, how the colour reads in daylight, and whether fingerprints or scratches become the new complaint. Buy a metal face only when a circuit protective conductor is there to land on the plate. If you are still choosing 1-way or 2-way, do that on the 1-way or 2-way light switch page first. Prices are on the light switch sockets comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Material | Finish | Switching | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  BG BG single 2-way switch, antique brass, NAB12 | Brass | Antique brass | 2-way | 9.6 | about £5.79 | View offer |
| Best value |  Knightsbridge Knightsbridge CU2000 1-gang 2-way switch | Plastic | White | 2-way | 9.4 | about £3.00 | View offer |
 BG BG single 2-way switch, matt black, NFB12 | Metal | Matt black | 2-way | 9.4 | about £5.77 | View offer |
On this page
Plastic when the cable decides it
Some lighting circuits, including many installed before 1966, have no circuit protective conductor. A metal Class I plate should not go on that cable. Plastic is the plate that does not ask the face itself to be earthed. If a metal box is present and a CPC does exist, B&Q's replacement guide puts that earth in the box for a plastic plate. None of the BG metal plates in this capture is described as Class II. If you are unsure the sleeved green-and-yellow core is a CPC, stop.
Knightsbridge CU2000 at £3.00 and the BG moulded 812 at £4.49 are the white rows for that limit. If the cable has only two cores and no earth, stay on those plates. Brass, chrome, steel, and matt black wait until a protective conductor is actually in the box.
What metal adds
On a metal plate, B&Q's order is the earth to the plate first, then a short green-and-yellow tail on to a metal box. That is a different termination from a plastic plate, not a decorative extra. White moulded plates are £3.00–£4.49. Metal singles are £5.77–£5.99. Metal doubles and the two 13 A sockets are £6.18–£6.79. You are paying a few pounds more, and taking on the earth.
A moisture gasket on a BG metal plate is about the edge and new plaster. It is not IPX4, and it is not a bathroom rating. The BG switches that state an IP rating in this file say IP00. IET Section 701 asks for at least IPX4 in bathroom zones 1 and 2. These twelve include no pull-cord. The swap itself, including isolation, is how to replace a light switch.
How the four finishes behave
Buy one plate and look at it in daylight before you order a whole room. Antique brass is the finish where the returns start. NAB12, the single 2-way at £5.79, is 4.7 from 895 reviews, and reviewers call it bronze rather than gold, darker than the photograph. NAB42, the double at £6.79, has a review that found the colour paler than the picture. Skip a bulk order until one plate has sat next to the door handle you are matching.
Brushed steel is the low-drama metal until fingerprints. NBS42 draws praise for resisting them. NBS22G, the 13 A socket, draws the opposite comment. Matt black NFB12 at £5.77 picks up fewer fingerprints and scratches easily.
Who should stay with plastic anyway
Stay with plastic when the cable has no CPC, when the room only needs a white 2-way, or when you cannot accept the review flaw that comes with the finish. CU2000 at £3.00 is that white 2-way. The BG 812 at £4.49 is the white plate if you want 20 A, 16AX printed on a moulded 2-way. Plastic is the plate that avoids a metal face you cannot earth.
If you already have the earth and you want metal, pick the ASIN whose flaw you can live with, then buy one. NAB12 if you have seen the brass in daylight. NFB12 if scratches on a single gang are acceptable and you do not need a black double, because this table has none. NBS22G if the job is a 13 A socket and fingerprints are a cloth, not a surprise. A socket still will not replace a lighting drop. The best plates page lists the skip case for each of those rows.
Common questions
The cable has only two cores. Can I still fit brass?
No. Two cores and no circuit protective conductor is the case for a plastic plate, or for a rewire, not for NAB12 or any other metal face in this set. If you are not sure a sleeved core is a CPC, stop. These BG plates are not sold in the capture as Class II metal.
Where does the earth go on a metal plate?
To the earth terminal on the plate, then a short green-and-yellow tail from that point to the earth terminal of a metal box, which is the order B&Q describes. A plastic plate leaves the CPC in the box instead. Do not trap a bare earth under a fixing screw and call that the tail.
Do brushed-steel plates show fingerprints?
Sometimes. The double switch NBS42 is described as resistant to fingerprints. The double socket NBS22G is criticised for showing them more than matte plastic. Same family, different review pattern, so wipe a sample rather than trusting one bullet. Matt black NFB12 is the finish one stair review preferred when shiny metal was the problem, with scratches as the trade-off.
Is the gasket enough for a bathroom?
No. A gasket on these BG plates is about the plate edge and plaster, not a zone rating. Stated IP ratings on the switches are IP00. Zones 1 and 2 need at least IPX4 under IET Section 701. None of these plates is a pull-cord.
Is plastic always the safer plate?
It is the safer face when there is no CPC, because metal then has nowhere sound to connect. On a circuit that already has an earth, a metal plate connected as B&Q describes is a normal finish. Plastic still wins when you want the £3.00 CU2000, or when the plate is in a bathroom zone these IP00 faces should not enter.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources are listed below. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures checked on 21 October 2026.
- Electrical Safety First: What is notifiable work? (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- IET: BS 7671 18th Edition wiring regulations (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- IET: Section 701, locations containing a bath or shower (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BEAMA: Load ratings for manually operated functional switches (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 60669-1:2018 scope (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- B&Q: How to replace a light switch (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Homebuilding: Types of light switches (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for these plates (retrieved 21 October 2026)