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Know Your Button Types: Donut vs. Tack

We go through two of the major button types found on denim jeans and jackets: the donut and the tack, and how they're fixed to the garments.

Austin Bryant

Part of the allure of raw denim is the details. Hidden rivets, unique selvedge IDs and waist patches, and of course – buttons. The button fly is ubiquitous with heritage/selvedge denim, with makers typically choosing to use either tack or donut buttons for different reasons.

Considering the type of button can be important in the credentials of vintage reproduction style denim garb and the aesthetics of a garment in general, let’s go over the difference between the two most common types of button used on denim goods — donut and tack.

Donut

Donut buttons are used on plenty of selvedge denim goods. They’re named as such due to the “donut hole” opening found at their center. Donut buttons were utilized in WWII as they used less metal, which was essential for wartime rationing.  For this reason, you will often find donut buttons on vintage-inspired jeans/jackets based on 1940s and early 1950s examples.

Some donut buttons are set with a two-prong nail that punches through the center. The prongs are then stamped down using a press or die to form a strong hold that also looks super clean when viewed view the center of the buttonhole. You can see this in the above image. Donut buttons can also be fitted with a single tack – it’s all about the hole in the center, here.

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Tack

Tack buttons are affixed with a single-pronged tack and typically have a flat surface with no hole. In the world of raw denim goods, the term ‘tack button’ usually refers to buttons with a full surface, which are often branded.

The flat metal piece on the inside of the jeans is the back of the tack, which is hammered through into the button. Essentially a spike, the tack ensures the button is securely fastened.

Lots of vintage tack buttons and one donut button (bottom right) notice how the vintage Big Six donut button has a bar for the aforementioned double prongs to bend around like a clasp. Images via Topo Designs and Vintage Buttons on Pinterest.

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