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Cast Iron Cookware in threes on a table

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Which cast iron cookware brands are the safest and highest quality? Cast iron cookware is one of the safest cookware types, but which brands use the highest-quality materials and are free of lead? You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like (1) safest cookware, (2) safest cooking oil tested for phthalates, (3) safest bakeware, (4) safest air fryers, & (5) safest rice cookers. Now, join us for the highest-quality cast iron cookware.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. 

Cast iron cookware set

Not All Cast Iron Cookware is Created the Same

In the world of cast iron cookware, not all brands are equal in quality and safety. Most reputable American, European or Australian cast iron cookware companies offer safe cast iron, but some Chinese brands do not. Brands that don’t independently verify their materials should be your first concern. What kind of things can go wrong?

  • Recycled scrap needs more attention: Recycled scrap iron used in some manufacturing can introduce traces of lead, arsenic, cadmium, or other metals. Brands using recycled scraps also need a serious quality assurance plan with ongoing testing.
  • Independent testing: Independent tests (including one by Hong Kong’s Consumer Council) found certain models exceeding European or international release limits for iron, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and other metals, especially under acidic conditions.
  • Vintage dangers: Vintage, antique, or very cheap imported pieces carry a higher risk of contamination from older foundry practices (melting lead at home) or poor-quality enamel on coated versions. In other words, shopping for cast iron at local garage sales may not be the safest option because if that piece of cookware was ever used to melt lead, the lead will still be there. When using vintage cast iron cookware, it’s best to have it lead tested before you cook with it. We recommend using this test from Detectlead.com. (Use “MAMAVATION” for $30 off your kit!)
  • Quality standards differ by country: Chinese safety & quality standards differ from American standards for cast iron cookware. Product standards for iron cookware specify gray iron grades (often HT150/HT200), carbon/silicon ranges, defect size, and thickness tolerances. EU and American standards are also stricter on lead and other heavy metals.
  • Enameled Cast Iron issues: Enameled cast iron can pose many problems. First, the glazes typically contain heavy metals, especially the red, yellow, or orange ones. (So if you purchase, stick to blue, green, or white.) The other issue is they crack and chip with normal use, including spiderweb cracks after repeated use. Cracks and chipping can expose your family to whatever was inside the enamel. Lastly, they are mostly made in China, where cookware standards aren’t as strict as in Europe or the United States. The vast majority of the enameled cast iron we evaluated was made in China.
  • Potential Fixture Issues: Some brands have previously been found to have other fixtures, like brass knobs & handles, that test high for lead by independent watchdogs. One larger brand, Finex, was found to have lead in the brass knobs & handles of their frying pan in 2023. We recently tested that same frying pan for lead and confirmed the same lead issues. However, It’s unlikely to be a food-contact problem, and claiming it is is completely false. To ensure this wasn’t a lead contamination issue, we had Eric Ritter from Detectlead.com try to transfer lead onto his hands after rubbing the pan aggressively, and found no lead contamination. So, as long as you don’t put the brass knobs in your mouth, they are safe to use. But because this brand comes with a caveat, we did not place it in our “best” category. However, we cannot say the same for any other brand. We only tested Finex cast iron, not cheap copies from overseas.

Want to test for lead around the house yourself?

  • We recommend using this test from Detectlead.com. (Use discount code “MAMAVATION” for $30 off your kit!)

Large black cast iron cooking pan resting on kitchen towel and wooden table surface

Benefits & Drawbacks of Non-Heme Iron Content in Cast Iron

Cast Iron cooking is a great way to increase your iron intake in a normally healthy environment. For most people, the additional iron exposure from cast iron cookware is a good thing, especially for people who are iron-deficient, like menstruating women, growing children, or vegetarians. The extra non-heme iron that leaches into food can measurably raise iron intake and help improve hemoglobin or ferritin levels. In fact, some countries encourage their populace to use more cast iron for this very purpose.

However, there are some drawbacks for highly sensitive people. The problem exists only when someone already has too much iron inside them OR absorbs iron too efficiently. In those cases, the body has no good way to get rid of excess iron once it’s absorbed. Over time, stored iron acts as a pro-oxidant, generating free radicals that can damage the liver, heart, pancreas, and joints.

What types of people should avoid cast iron cookware?

  • People with hereditary hemochromatosis, which is a common genetic condition in people of Northern European ancestry.
  • People who already have high iron stores for other reasons. Examples include repeated blood transfusions, certain liver diseases, or long-term high-dose iron supplements.

Variety of cast iron frying pans on a marble background

Mamavation’s Investigation of Cast Iron Cookware

Mamavation emailed the most popular cast iron cookware brands asking them for details about their materials: chemical disclosures and testing, where they are manufactured, and what they are seasoned with. We did test one brand that previously had a lead issue with some of their additional components.

Not Our Favorite Cast Iron Cookware

Most of these cookware brands are enameled and/or are produced in China.  Enamel coating on the cast iron makes the presence of heavy metals more likely. One brand here was tested and found to have lead in the lid, spring handle, & brass cap.

Cast iron cookware in the window sill

Better Cast Iron Cookware

These cast iron cookware brands are very good, but not perfect. They do not have a Prop. 65 warning and are independently testing their cookware to ensure high quality. However, they may have used genetically modified (GMO) oils. These pans were NOT manufactured in China either. They were either manufactured in the United States or Colombia.

  • Lodge Cast Iron Cookware (Soy-based vegetable oil, made in the USA)($34)
  • Finex Cast Iron Cookware (organic flaxseed oil, made in the USA)(Eric Ritter from Detectlead.com independently tested this product for lead. There was no lead in the cooking surface, but he and found lead in the lid handle, spring handle, and brass cap — lid knob 387 ppm lead, spring handle 304 ppm lead, & brass cap 1,047 ppm lead. Testing was also done to see if the lead in the brass knobs transfers onto the hands, and the answer is no. As long as you don’t put the brass parts in your mouth, they aren’t a lead-contamination issue that will transfer to your food.)($299)
  • Pampered Chef Cast Iron Cookware (soy-based vegetable oil, made in USA)($75)
  • Stargazer Cast Iron Cookware (a signature blend of food-grade canola, grapeseed, and sunflower oils, made in USA)($175)
  • Victoria Cast Iron Cookware (Recycled and virgin metals, Kosher-certified flaxseed oil, made in Colombia)(small, $28.99)

traditional cast iron skillet on a white background

Best Cast Iron Cookware

These cast iron cookware brands are the best of the best. Each brand does quality assurance testing to ensure they don’t need a Prop. 65 warning. We followed up and tested them all for lead and found none in any part of the pan. Eric Ritter at Detectlead.com performed the lead testing with an XRF analyzer. They also use non-GMO oil to season the pans. None of these brands were manufactured in China. They were either manufactured in the United States or Australia. (We know lots of you wanted a brand seasoned with an oil that wasn’t a seed oil, but as you can see, that wasn’t a common attribute (other than Solidteknics) in cast iron, so we focused on non-GMO oils instead for you and just declared what the oils were up front.)

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