Also known as "Pital Nagri”, or the city of brass, Moradabad is famous for lustrous, sand-cast inlaid brassware. The art contains colourful enamel work, detailed engravings and intricate detailing. This flourished during the Mughal era, and their patronage breathed new life into the designs. Since Shah Jahan’s reign, brassware from Moradabad has been exported to the Middle East, Iran and Turkey. The artists' legacy continues till date.

Making brassware artefacts is a community effort. There are distinct roles for the dhaliya (metal caster), metal workers, and engravers in their respective workshops. Creating artefacts typically take four to six weeks. The artisans use tools like the darza (casting box), bhatti (furnace), gharia (crucible), chisels, and sansi (tongs) to create an array of items. Some common brassware includes paandans (containers for betel leaf), lotas (water pots), diyas (oil lamps), bangles, cutlery, idols, and cooking utensils.

Their allure lies in the beautiful engravings, either naqqashi (shallow) or khudai (deep). Utility items are polished with ash or mud, but decorative and trousseau artefacts have heavy ornamentation.

Moradabad brassware was certified with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2013.

During the G7 Summit in 2022, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gifted a nickel-coated, hand-engraved brass vessel from Moradabad to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This was made by acclaimed artisan and Padma Shri-recipient Dilshad Hussain.

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