FASTENERS 101™
Plating, Painting, Coatings & Finishes

Protect Your Fasteners

Fastener Coating, Plating and Finishes can add an extra layer of corrosion protection to your fastener assemblies. Below is everything you will need to know about all the different available options.

Fastener Finishes:

Black Oxide

Black oxide fasteners are stainless steel fasteners that have been chemically treated to alter certain qualities of the material, most notably the color. The treatment adds a mild corrosion and abrasion resistance and reduces the now black oxide stainless steel fasteners reflective properties. To achieve maximum corrosion and abrasion resistance, the black oxide is sealed with oil and the excess is spun off, which complies with military specifications as a Class 4 finish. Black oxide fasteners are commonly used in the following industries: automotive, motorcycle, guns, knives, archery.

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What is Black Oxide?

Understanding the Black Oxide Process

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Hot Dip Galvanizing

Hot dip galvanizing is a process that adds a layer of corrosion resistance by dipping fabricated steel into a kettle containing molten zinc. The HDG process creates a tightly bonded alloy for superior corrosion resistance and harsh environment applications. HDG products must be used exclusively when applied, meaning that a plain zinc nut or stainless nut cannot be applied to an HDG bolt. HDG nuts are threaded slightly larger than other nuts to make room for the thickness of the galvanized coating.

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Zinc Plating

Zinc plated steel is very common in the fastener industry. Zinc adds a layer of corrosion resistance to plain alloy steel. Clear zinc has a light, shiny color and blue zinc has a bright blue hue. Zinc plated steel is not suitable for extreme environment use, as it is not as resistant to corrosion as hot dipped galvanized.

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Blue Climaseal®

Blue coating applied to masonry anchors that provides extra corrosion resistance. Uniquely applied in multiple stages through dip-spin technology. This finish is used in our Tapcon Masonry Screws.

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Chrome Plating

Chrome plating is the process of adding a thin layer of chromium to an object. There are many benefits to chrome plating such as a shiny decorative look and providing an extra layer of corrosion resistance. Chrome comes in two types: decorative and hard. Decorative chrome has a visually pleasing look and is very durable. Base materials for this type of plating include steel, zinc, copper and aluminum alloys. Due to its high level of corrosion resistance it is often used in cars, kitchen utensils and varying other tools. Hard Chrome, on the other hand, is used to minimize friction, increase abrasion resistance and deter wear of parts. It can also help prevent part seizing (referred to galling in the industry) and improve oxidization resistance. This type of chrome is often used in the automotive industry.

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Fastener Finishes, Coatings and Plating Chart

While Albany County Fasteners does not currently carry all these varieties, we want to make sure you are able to make an informed decision on what to choose. Please visit our custom plating page to find out about the different options we offer.

Protective Layer	How Resistant to Corrosion	Base Material
Aluminum (Hot-Dip)	Interior: Very Resistant Exterior: Very Resistant	Steel
Anodizing	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Extremely Resistant	Aluminum
Black Oxide	Interior: Very Resistant Exterior: Requires Rust Inhibitor	Steel
Bluing	Interior: Semi Resistant Exterior: Semi Resistant	Steel
Brass (Electroplating)	Interior: Semi Resistant Exterior: Semi Resistant	Steel
Bronze (Electroplating)	Interior: Semi Resistant Exterior: Semi Resistant	Steel
Cadmium (Electroplating)	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Extremely Resistant	Steel
Chromate (Clear)	Interior: Very Resistant Exterior: Very Resistant	Zinc and Cadmium Fasteners
Chromate (Color)	Interior: Very Resistant Exterior: Very Resistant	Zinc and Cadmium Fasteners
Chromium (Electroplating)	Interior: Fairly Resistant Exterior: Fairly Resistant	Various Metals
Copper (Electroplating)	Interior: Semi Resistant Exterior: Semi Resistant	Various Metals
Dichromate	Interior: Very Resistant Exterior: Very Resistant	Zinc and Cadmium Fasteners
Lacquering	Interior: Vary Exterior: Vary	All Metals
Lead-Tin	Interior: Semi Resistant Exterior: Semi Resistant	Steel
Nickel (Bright)	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Fairly Resistant	Various Metals
Nickel (Dull)	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Fairly Resistant	Various Metals
Passivating	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Extremely Resistant	Stainless Steel
Phosphate (Color Coating)	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Extremely Resistant	Steel
Phosphate (Zinc or Manganese)	Interior: Fairly Resistant Exterior: Fairly Resistant	Steel
Rust Inhibitors	Interior: Vary Exterior: Vary	Steel
Silver (Electroplaing)	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Extremely Resistant	All Metals
Tin (Electroplating)	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Extremely Resistant	All Metals
Tin (Hot Dip)	Interior: Extremely Resistant Exterior: Extremely Resistant	All Metals
Zinc (Electroplating)	Interior: Very Resistant Exterior: Very Resistant	Steel
Zinc (Hot Dip Galvanizing)	Interior: Very Resistant Exterior: Very Resistant	Steel
Zinc (Mechanically Deposited)	Interior: Very Resistant Exterior: Very Resistant	Steel

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