Hard chromium plating (also called hard chrome plating, functional chrome plating, engineering chrome plating and industrial chrome plating) is an electrolytic process that covers (or plates) an object, giving it certain qualities. Among those qualities are a bright, silvery shine; strength; ability to increase the life of parts; ability to resize parts; repair and restoration of old parts; protection against corrosion and resistance against abrasion. The term "hard chrome" doesn't indicate the process is harder than decorative chrome plating; it's just thick enough a hardness that measurement may be assigned to it.

Applications for hard chromium plating include hydraulic cylinder rods and cylinders, mold surfaces, rollers, shock absorbers, piston rings, gun bores, thread guides, jet engine components, railroad wheel bearings and couplers and diesel cylinder liners. If your business requires hard chromium plating services for one of these applications--or one of many others--first think about the following:

1. Do you only need one item, or a small job, put through the hard chrome process?

2. Do you have a large job needing a hard chromium finish?

3. Do you require supplies for the hard chrome process?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find businesses that specialize in small hard chromium plating jobs

If you have a small job (or possibly just an item or two) that requires a hard chromium finish, many hard chrome plating services won't be able to help you. Instead of seeking out the more visible, large plating operations in the United States, look for smaller professional businesses that are willing to handle small jobs.

I recommend: CRC Chrome provides expert hard chrome electroplating for small jobs--even single items. Techmetals offers hard chrome plating service for small parts, or parts weighing up to 10,000 pounds, and will work on single items or large orders. H REIS performs custom chrome plating on items 30mm to 280mm in diameter, including those in small quantity jobs. New England Chrome Plating offers industrial chrome plating service for small or large jobs.

Seek out larger companies for the hard chroming manufacturing process

If you have larger jobs that require hard chromium plating, you'll need the assistance of companies used to working big, industrial jobs. Some will only be able to handle objects of certain sizes, so make sure you ask about size and weight specifications up front.

I recommend: Industrial Plating Company offers large job, hard plating on small or big items. Electro-Coatings handles the hard chromium plating process for large jobs at their three locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Dynamic Chromium Industries provides hard plating for a wide variety of industrial needs. Garrod Hydraulics can hard plate items up to 60 inches in diameter and 45 feet in length.

Buy hard chromium coating supplies

Perhaps you're a provider of hard chromium plating services. If so, there are a number of good sources for a wide variety of plating supplies, including those that carry chemicals, safety supplies, new racks and manuals.

I recommend: ISC Plating sells such hard chrome plating supplies as plating solutions, additives and fume suppressant. Hard Chrome Plating Consultants offers items like racks and training manuals. Plating Resources provides baths, suppressants, chemicals and laboratory supplies for hard chromium plating.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  One of the few drawbacks to plating for hard chromium is that it can be difficult to mask areas of an object that don't need coating. If this could be an issue with your project, consider alternative thermal spraying.