Metal DnD dice: weight, table damage and whether they roll fair

Metal dice are usually cast zinc alloy, with hollow sets in aluminum-zinc and premium sets in tungsten. They weigh 4 to 5 times as much as plastic, so makers advise rolling them in a tray to protect tables and softer dice. They look solid and precise, but the one published study found them no fairer than plastic.

What are metal dice made of?

Standard metal DnD dice are cast from a zinc alloy. Die Hard Dice describes its sets as cast zinc and notes that zinc is much harder than the polymers used for plastic dice. Two other types sit on either side of standard zinc:

• Hollow metal dice. Forged Gaming makes hollow sets in aluminum-zinc alloy. It describes them as actually hollow, light and sturdy enough for regular use, and says they make “a distinctive tinkling chime” when rolled.
• Tungsten dice. Norse Foundry mills its tungsten sets on CNC machines from 95% tungsten and 5% alloy, at about 16 to 22 mm per die. The full set is listed at 16 ounces.

Check each listing for the stated metal. A listing that only says “metal” often does not name the alloy, so ask the seller if weight matters to you.

How heavy are metal dice?

Die Hard Dice says the extra weight means metal dice “roll around less once they hit the table.” That is part of the appeal: a d20 that lands with a thud and stays close.

Do metal dice dent tables and scratch other dice?

Yes, both are real risks, and makers say so on their own product pages.

Norse Foundry advises rolling its tungsten dice “separately on a rolling tray as it can easily damage your game board.” Die Hard Dice pitches its folding trays as a way to protect tables and books from metal dice. A heavy zinc or tungsten d4 dropped on a softwood table or a hardcover rulebook concentrates all that weight on a point.

Other dice suffer too. Die Hard Dice recommends storing metal dice apart from plastic ones so they do not scratch them. URWizards goes further for stone: never roll gemstone dice together with metal dice or even harder resin dice. Our dice materials comparison covers which materials chip most easily.

Rolling metal dice in a tray

A tray with a soft floor solves most of the damage problem. Look for:

• A padded or lined floor (felt, velvet, leather or neoprene). Die Hard Dice’s folding trays use velvet inside and also quiet loud rolls on plastic tables.
• Walls high enough to stop a bouncing d20. Die Hard lists 1.75-inch walls on its folding tray.
• A floor big enough for a handful of dice, if you roll damage with several at once.

Many hollow metal sets come in a tin whose padded lid doubles as a small tray, which is enough for one or two dice. For folding, wooden and leather options, see our guide to dice trays and rolling mats.

Are metal dice fair?

The honest answer is that material alone does not decide fairness.

Die Hard Dice argues metal dice have an advantage because they are heavier and “tend to have more uniform faces,” while noting that shaking or rolling them in the hand is “the real source of randomness.” That is a maker’s view, not a test.

The closest thing to an independent test is “Dice Questions Answered” (2020) by Warren Campbell and William P. Dolan of Western Kentucky University. They combined tens of thousands of physical rolls with simulations and a chi-square goodness of fit test. Their preliminary conclusion, based on limited tests: metal dice are not fairer than plastic dice. They traced plastic dice problems to dimensional inconsistencies rather than the material itself.

Why the saltwater test does not help here

The popular float test (a die spun repeatedly in dense salt water to see if one face keeps coming up) needs a die that floats. Gareth Branwyn, writing for Make: in 2015, found that many of his plastic dice would not float no matter how much salt he added. Metal is far denser than salt water, so metal dice simply sink. For metal, the only practical check is many recorded rolls, which is the method the WKU researchers used.

Hollow vs solid metal dice

Hollow dice suit players who want the look of metal without the full weight. Solid zinc is the middle ground, and tungsten is for players who want the heaviest set they can find.

How to care for metal dice

• Expect tarnish on bare metal. Norse Foundry says its tungsten dice will tarnish, may arrive tarnished, and need regular upkeep.
• Store them in compartments. A padded case or a vault with one slot per die stops metal dice from scuffing each other and your other sets. Our guide to dice boxes, vaults and bags compares the options.
• Keep them out of a shared bag with resin, glass or gemstone dice.

Metal is one of several materials in our DnD dice sets guide; if you have not picked a set yet, start there.