Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Rims

Chrome Plating

What is the difference between "Chrome Plating" and "Chromium Plating"?

Nothing. Chromium is an element, chrome is just sort of a slang name for it.

So all chrome plating is about the same, then?

No. There are two different general types of chrome plating: "hard chrome plating " (sometimes called "engineering chrome plating") and "decorative chrome plating".

Hard Chrome Plating

Hard chromium plating is just chrome plating, but it is applied as a fairly heavy coating (usually measured in thousandths of an inch) for wear resistance, lubricity, oil retention, and other ‘wear’ purposes. Some examples would be hydraulic cylinder rods, rollers, piston rings, mold surfaces, thread guides, etc. It is called hard chromium because it is thick enough that when a hardness measurement is performed the chrome hardness can actually be measured. It is almost always applied to items that are made of steel. It is not really shiny or decorative.

There are variations even within hard chrome plating, with some of the coatings optimized to be especially porous for oil retention, etc.

Many shops who do hard chromium plating do no other kind of plating at all, because their business is designed to serve only engineered, wear-type, needs.