Types of Chrome Hardware Finishes

Nearly all of the pieces of hardware you see in chrome will be the standard bright polished chrome finish. The few variations are usually to tone it down a little bit by adding a matte or satin finish.

Polished chrome is the standard and it's just like the flashy rims on sports cars. This finish will show up differently depending on the light source. This finish will look different on screen depending on the light source and I've posted two different polished chrome knobs below to show that. Just know that if you choose chrome or polished chrome that you are getting a bright, shiny chrome.

The first knob looks more like polished chrome to me, but if you see something like this below that is labeled polished chrome it will still be the bright chrome when you see it in person.

There are a couple of variations of chrome that are popular as well and those are matte chrome and satin chrome.  Both of these finishes serve to dull out the brightness of the chrome and give a softer, less "brash" look to the hardware.

Matte chrome usually takes on a bit of a stainless steel look as seen here: 

And satin chrome is brighter and really just has a brushed look to it...

Hope this helps some people out there figure out what hardware they have or what hardware they need!