We Are IB: materiality and design in contemporary taps and mixers

We Are IB is an Italian tap and mixer brand with 100% in-house production, from raw material to final finish. It makes its taps from a brass it describes as lead- and zinc-free, and has developed its catalogue with internationally renowned designers such as Giulio Iacchetti, Lorenzo Damiani and Marco Acerbis.

In this article we look at who is behind the brand, which alloy it uses, how it controls production and finishes, what it has measured of its carbon footprint and what to bear in mind when specifying it. We then focus on two collections of very different character: Colore, which makes colour its main argument, and M316, in AISI 316 stainless steel.

A family business from Val Trompia

IB Rubinetterie was founded in 1985 in Sarezzo, in the province of Brescia, by Elio Bregoli, who is still the company's president. He built it together with his wife, Antonella, and their sons Andrea and Davide have opened it up to international markets: according to the brand, it now operates in 64 countries. We Are IB is the name under which the company presents its brand and catalogue.

The company links its origins to its territory: Val Trompia, a valley of rivers and lakes that has been one of Italy's most active industrial centres since the early nineteenth century. That metalworking culture underpins a model that keeps the different stages of the product within its own factory. In 2025, We Are IB was one of the exhibiting brands at the Materials Matter Exhibition.

Low-lead brass

We Are IB describes the alloy it works with as lead- and zinc-free and therefore hypoallergenic and purified of the main pollutants. The technical sheets of its mixers specify the material: CuZn42 (CW510L) brass, with a maximum lead content of 0.2%.

CW510L is a standardised alloy of copper, around 58%, and zinc, classed as lead-free under the RoHS directive and accepted on the 4MS positive list of metallic materials for products in contact with drinking water. Like all brass, it contains zinc; what sets it apart from conventional machining brasses such as CuZn39Pb3 is that it does without lead while, according to the alloy's manufacturers, offering comparable corrosion resistance.

The choice makes sense for a product that carries drinking water: it limits the lead that can reach the water and makes it easier to meet the requirements of the strictest markets. IB states that its products are certified in countries such as Canada, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Fully integrated production to guarantee quality and traceability

One of the distinguishing features of We Are IB is its fully in-house manufacturing. The entire production process, from the transformation of the raw material to the final finish, takes place under a single industrial control. This integration makes it possible to supervise every stage of production, optimise the precision of the parts and guarantee greater uniformity in the finishes. It also facilitates the traceability of materials and ensures technical consistency across the whole collection.

According to the brand, all production takes place in Italy, in its 9,000 m² factory in Sarezzo, which includes the plating department where the finishes are applied. The technical sheets also show two ways of building a tap: in the Colore basin mixer the body is a single casting; in the M316 one it is machined from a solid piece of steel.

Finishes designed to stand the test of time

The durability of taps and mixers depends as much on their construction as on the quality of their finishes. In this respect, We Are IB develops carefully crafted surfaces designed to retain their appearance and performance even in settings of frequent use. The same finish is offered across taps, flush plates and accessories, so the whole bathroom can share a single tone.

The manufacturer details the technologies: chrome is applied with trivalent chromium (Cr3+), which IB says is non-toxic to the environment and to workers; 22 to 24 carat golds are protected with Nano 3, a biopolymer layer a few nanometres thick and free of heavy metals; matt white and matt black are electrostatic powder coatings of polyester and epoxy resins; and natural brass is left unprotected, so it oxidises and each piece ages differently.

Contemporary design in the service of functionality

The We Are IB catalogue has been developed with internationally renowned designers such as Giulio Iacchetti, Lorenzo Damiani and Marco Acerbis. Beyond the aesthetic dimension, the design seeks to enhance the user experience through ergonomic solutions and particular attention to construction detail, combining functionality, comfort and timelessness.

• Giulio Iacchetti: Batlò and Drop collections. An industrial designer since 1992, he has received two Compasso d'Oro awards, in 2001 and 2014.
• Lorenzo Damiani: OnlyOne and Twitter collections.
• Marco Acerbis: Wave collection, with a sinuous profile on one side and a straight one on the other.
• Carlo Colombo: C-67 collection, the brand's first with carbon footprint certification.
• OSMO and Davide Bregoli: Cake and Totem, by OSMO, and M316, by Davide Bregoli, within Program 316.

Durability and carbon footprint

The combination of quality materials, controlled manufacturing and timeless design makes durability one of the main attributes of the We Are IB collections. The brand guarantees its products for 10 years against casting, porosity and chrome-plating defects, and for 2 years on seals and wear components.

On emissions, We Are IB has certified the carbon footprint of the C-67 collection, designed by Carlo Colombo: it is the brand's first collection to obtain it. The calculation follows a cradle-to-grave approach, covering materials and energy in manufacturing, transport, use and end of life, in line with UNI EN ISO 14067, ISO 14064-1 and ISO 14040, the GHG Protocol and GRI 305. According to the manufacturer, the 22.2 tonnes of CO2 equivalent calculated are fully offset through Upgreene.

Two featured collections: Colore and M316

From the brand's catalogue we focus on two collections that show its two extremes: colour-lacquered brass and stainless steel. The table compares the data from the technical sheets of each collection's single-lever basin mixer.

Colore: simple shapes and unique colours

Three colours inspired by the Brescia landscape.

The Colore collection is characterised by a simple, refined formal language based on clean lines and balanced proportions. Its main distinguishing feature is the incorporation of colour as an essential part of the design, through high-quality lacquering in strong pastel tones.

The colours pay tribute to the area where it is made: blue like Lake Garda (Blue Garda), green like Mount Maddalena (Green Maddalena) and yellow like the fields of Franciacorta (Yellow Franciacorta). The collection comprises 32 items: low, tall, wall-mounted and freestanding basin mixers, bidet mixers, concealed basin, shower and bath mixers, shower heads, flush plates and accessories such as towel holders, soap dispensers and toilet roll holders.

The sheet for the CO200 basin mixer gives a sense of the product: a body cast in a single piece of CuZn42 (CW510L) brass, a 25 mm ceramic cartridge, a concealed aerator and a flow rate of 3 l/min at 1 bar and 3.8 l/min at 2 and 3 bar.

M316: pure form, timeless steel

AISI 316 stainless steel with PVD finishes.

We Are IB's M316 collection is made from AISI 316 stainless steel, a material particularly valued for its high resistance to corrosion, durability and stability in humid environments. What sets it apart from the more common 304 steel is molybdenum, around 2%, which improves its resistance to pitting corrosion in the presence of chlorides. That is why it is used in demanding contexts and coastal settings, and it is particularly suitable for bathrooms. The result is a range of hard-wearing taps and mixers with a sober, refined design.

Designed by Davide Bregoli, M316 is part of Program 316, IB's stainless steel line, which also includes the Cake and Totem basin collections by OSMO, showers, kitchen taps and accessories. It comprises 25 items: low, tall and wall-mounted basin mixers, bidet mixers, wall spouts, concealed mixers with diverters and bath fillers, including a freestanding one.

The four finishes are applied by PVD (physical vapour deposition), a thin, highly resistant coating that, according to the manufacturer, improves durability without altering the properties of the metal: brushed stainless steel (SA), Brushed Warm Brass (WA), Brushed Warm Bronze (WB) and Brushed Black Metal (BM). In the M3200 basin mixer the body is machined from a solid piece, the flow rate is 5 l/min at 1 bar and 5.5 l/min at 2 and 3 bar, and the aerator is anti-limescale.

Key points for specifying We Are IB taps

Whichever collection you choose, these are the points worth settling at project stage:

• Material: for brass, the sheets state CW510L alloy with a maximum of 0.2% lead; for M316, AISI 316 stainless steel. Ask for the sheet of each item for the project documentation.
• Flow rate: the basin mixers reviewed range from 3.8 l/min (Colore) to 5.5 l/min (M316) at 3 bar. If the project is pursuing a certification with water-saving targets, check each sheet.
• One finish for the whole bathroom: taps, flush plates and accessories share finishes, which makes a consistent scheme easier. Natural brass changes with use; that is an aesthetic choice, not a defect.
• Technical documentation: each product has PDF dimension drawings, instructions and 3D files on the brand's website, and in many cases BIM files.
• Maintenance: clean with soap and water and a soft cloth, without detergents containing hydrochloric acid or abrasive products, as damage from these is not covered by the warranty.

Visit our showroom to discover the We Are IB collections and compare their finishes with the tiles, basins and sanitaryware of your project together with your technical team.