How to Tell What Your Statue Is Made Of

You can usually identify a statue's material in seconds, by weight, temperature, and sound. Plastic feels light and warm and flexes a little; plain resin feels solid; polystone feels cold and stone-heavy; cold-cast feels metal-heavy and looks metallic. Here is how to tell them apart and why it matters for care and value.

The quick test

1. Lift it. Heavy for its size points to polystone or cold-cast. Light points to PVC or hollow plastic. Plain resin sits in between, solid but not stony.
2. Touch it. Polystone feels cold like stone. Plastic warms to your hand quickly.
3. Flex a thin part gently. If a thin edge gives a little, it is PVC or vinyl. Resin and polystone are rigid and will snap rather than bend, so test very gently.
4. Look at the surface. A true metallic sheen with patina in the recesses suggests cold-cast. Flat colour under paint is resin or polystone.

What each material feels like

• PVC and vinyl: light, slightly soft, bends before it breaks. Common on mass figures.
• Polyurethane resin: solid, rigid, crisp detail, moderate weight. See what resin is.
• Polystone: cold, stone-heavy, very crisp detail, brittle.
• Cold-cast: metal-heavy, real metallic surface, takes a patina. See what cold-cast resin is.

Why it matters

Material decides how you handle, clean, and value a piece. Polystone and cold-cast are heavier and more brittle, so they need careful handling and a stable shelf. The denser, detail-holding materials are what serious collectors pay for. Once you know what you own, follow the right routine in our statue care guide.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell resin from PVC?

Resin is rigid, solid, and heavier; PVC is lighter and flexes slightly. A thin PVC part bends, while resin stays stiff.

Is a heavy statue always better quality?

Weight signals polystone or cold-cast, which hold finer detail than light PVC, but the sculpt and paint matter just as much as the material.

Will a magnet tell me if it is metal?

Not reliably. Bronze and most cast metals are non-magnetic, so weight and a real metallic surface are better clues than a magnet.