handle 10 designed for attachment to the housing of a conventional electric steam iron the handle 10 has a molded rigid plastic substrate 11 having generally exposed front and rear surface portions 12 and 13 respectively connected by a generally recessed skeletal structure 14 in the embodiment illustrated the front surface portion 12 of the steam iron handle 10 is molded with a recess 22 adapted to receive a temperature control wheel and containing a hole 25 adapted to receive a screw for attaching the handle to the housing of the iron also portion 12 is molded with openings 23 and 24 to accommodate activation buttons for a steam surge and for a water spray respectively the connecting structure 14 has a shaped horizontal backbone comprising a continuous vertically wide rib 15 and a continuous horizontally wide rib 16 and a plurality of closely spaced fin members 17 integrally molded with the ribs 15 and 16 to provide a handle substrate 14 which is relatively light in weight due to the plurality of air spaces or slots 18 between the fins 17 and yet has excellent strength in all directions the rear surface portion 13 of the rigid substrate 11 in the illustrated embodiment is molded with a lower central extension flange 26 provided with a hole 27 for receiving an attachment screw to secure the handle to the housing of the iron and with an opposed pair of internally threaded bosses 28 and 29 to receive rear cover attachment screws the composite handle 10 of fig1 and 2 also comprise a molded foam resin outer layer 20 which is injection molded.