Q&A: Q. Is trivalent chromium plating different from trivalent chromate treatment?

Q&A: Q. Is trivalent chromium plating different from trivalent chromate treatment? A. Yes, they are different processes. I will explain the differences.

Trivalent chromium plating is a type of chromium plating that uses trivalent chromium compounds. Trivalent chromate is a chemical treatment. Chromium plating using trivalent chromium compounds such as chromium chloride or chromium sulfate is also a plating process that reduces trivalent chromium compounds to zero valence and precipitates them, so the plating film consists of metallic chromium and does not contain either trivalent or hexavalent chromium compounds. (It complies with the RoHS directive.) Trivalent chromium plating is commonly applied over nickel plating, and the substrate can be any metal that can be plated. Trivalent chromium chromate is a chemical treatment that scientifically generates a chemical film using trivalent chromium. The chemical treatment film using trivalent chromium compounds is a chemical treatment film formed by substances such as chromium hydroxide and chromium oxide (trivalent chromium compounds), so it does not contain hexavalent chromium compounds. (It complies with the RoHS directive.) By generating a film containing trivalent chromium compounds on the surface of zinc or aluminum, high corrosion resistance can be achieved. Generally, trivalent chromate is overwhelmingly used as a rust prevention treatment for iron after zinc plating. Our company can also directly apply trivalent chromate to aluminum.

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