A cracked handle or a steady drip rarely means you need a whole new faucet. A replacement cartridge, O-ring, or handle usually costs a small fraction of the fixture, but the part has to match your exact brand, and often the exact model.
The trouble is that most faucets wear their branding quietly, and the original box and manual are long gone. This guide shows how to identify your kitchen faucet brand from the logo, the model tag under the sink, the splines on the stem, and free photo-matching tools, so you order the right part the first time.
Key Takeaways
- Clean and light the metal first: brands etch small logos on the escutcheon, under the spout, and on the handle caps, where soap scum hides them.
- Check the supply lines: most faucets built since 2012 carry a white model-number tag on the cold water hose under the sink.
- Count the stem splines: a 4-point square points to American Standard or Price Pfister, a D-shaped broach to Delta or Peerless, and 20 splines to Grohe or Kohler.
- Use free photo tools: Google Lens, Kohler Scout, and Delta’s Product Identifier match a photo of your faucet to a likely model.
How To Identify a Kitchen Faucet Brand
Knowing your brand is the only way to replace broken components correctly, because universal parts rarely fit modern fixtures. Some manufacturers stamp their name everywhere; others hide it well. Here are the most effective ways to track it down, from the quickest check to the most reliable.
Locate the Logo
This sounds obvious, but logos are often faint or buried under grime. Manufacturers etch them into the finish, and over the years water spots and soap scum bury the lettering.
Clean the faucet thoroughly with vinegar or a mild cleaner first. Once it is dry, shine a bright flashlight across these spots at an angle so the etching catches the light:
- The Escutcheon: the base plate where the faucet meets the sink.
- The Spout: check just below the curve of the neck and on its underside.
- Handle Caps: the small decorative buttons that cap the screws.
- Back of the Faucet: use a small mirror to read the side facing the wall.
Find the Model Number Tag
If the logo is gone, hunt for the model number instead. You usually won’t find it stamped on the visible brass. Open the cabinet and get under the sink, then look at the water supply lines, the two hoses connecting the faucet to the shutoff valves.
Most kitchen and bathroom faucets built since 2012 leave the factory with a small white model-identification tag clipped to one of the flexible supply lines, usually the cold side, according to Delta’s support documentation. Type that number into any search engine and the brand and model pop up right away.
If the tag is missing or unreadable, check these backup spots:
- Mounting hardware: the nut and bracket that clamp the faucet to the counter.
- Underside of the spout: some brands stamp a short series code there.
- Underside of the base plate: readable only after you loosen and lift the escutcheon.
- Older fixtures: the number may be stamped straight into the faucet body.
Count the Broach and Splines
This is the most reliable method for older faucets. The broach is the top of the stem that seats into the handle, and the splines are the fine grooves cut around that metal stem. Their count and shape act like a fingerprint for the maker.
To read them, pry off the decorative cap on the handle and unscrew it. You will expose a gear-like metal top.
- Mark one spline with a fine-tip marker.
- Count the splines carefully until you circle back to your mark.
- Note the overall shape (round, square, or D-shaped).
Compare your count to this industry chart:
| Spline Count / Shape | Likely Manufacturer |
| 4-Point square | American Standard, Chicago, Gerber, Milwaukee, Price Pfister, Sterling, Zurn |
| 8-Point | Briggs |
| 12-Point | Arrowhead, Crane, Elkay, Price Pfister, Wolverine, Symmons (various sizes) |
| 15-Point | Santec, Savoy |
| 16-Point | American Standard, Central Brass, Gerber, Kohler, Newport Brass, Sayco, Sterling |
| 17-Point | Mansfield, Phoenix, Streamway |
| 18-Point | Briggs, Union Brass |
| 20-Point | Broadway, Danfoss, Eljer, Grohe, Kohler, Speakman, T&S Brass |
| 22-Point | American Standard (current models) |
| 38-Point | Glacier Bay, Pegasus (often Home Depot brands) |
| D-Shaped Broach | Delta, Peerless |
Analyze Shapes and Cartridges
If counting splines is awkward, read the internal cartridge or the shape of the stem instead:
- Delta: known for the rotating ball valve or a plastic stem with a D-shaped top.
- Moen: single-handle kitchen faucets use the 1225 cartridge, a clear plastic shell with a brass piston and an oval stem top, per Moen’s cartridge guide. The 1222 you may read about elsewhere is a Posi-Temp shower cartridge, not a kitchen part.
- T&S Brass: often shows a noticeable bulge at the base of the stem.
Pulling the cartridge and carrying just that to the store is far easier than hauling in the whole faucet. Its color and shape identify the brand on their own.
Use Digital Identification Tools
When the metal gives you nothing, let software do the work:
- Google Lens: open the Google app, tap the camera icon, and photograph the faucet; it searches for visually similar fixtures and often names the brand.
- Maker photo tools: several brands match a photo to a model for you, including Kohler Scout, Delta’s Product Identifier wizard, and Moen’s identify-my-product page.
- Broach gauge: this key-ring-style tool holds different spline sizes; you fit each onto the stem until one seats cleanly, confirming the count.
- Manufacturer support: if you have a hunch about the brand, phone or live-chat their support team with photos and they will usually name the model.
FAQs
Find the Brand, Fix the Leak
Tracking down your faucet brand takes a few minutes of detective work, and it saves you from swapping a whole fixture over a worn cartridge. Work from easiest to hardest: clean and read the logo, check the supply-line tag, then count the splines or pull the cartridge.
Once you have the brand and model, most manufacturers ship warranty parts free, and any plumbing supply house can match the rest. When the metal is truly blank, one clear photo run through Google Lens or a maker’s photo tool usually cracks it.
