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This section provides an overview for stainless steel surface treatment as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 16 stainless steel surface treatment manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked stainless steel surface treatment companies as of April, 2025: 1.Advanced Plating Technologies, 2.New England Electropolishing, 3.Modern Metal Finishing Inc..
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Categories Related to Stainless Steel Surface Treatment
A stainless steel surface treatment is a surface treatment that takes advantage of stainless steel's property of forming a film called passive film.
Stainless steel is an alloy steel that is composed mainly of iron and contains 11% or more chromium. The passive film of stainless steel does not oxidize, so corrosion inside the metal does not occur.
Rust is described as a stain, and stainless steel is called stainless because it does not rust. Stainless steel is not only rust-resistant but also strong. It is used in various fields by surface treatment.
Stainless steel is often used for decorative parts where the luster of the metal is to be utilized, because it can maintain its metallic luster without rusting, without covering the surface with paint or coatings. Examples include automobile interior parts and home appliances.
Stainless steel surface treatment is also widely used in kitchen equipment, clean rooms, guide parts for equipment used to convey products in factories, and conveyance chutes and hoppers for food, medical products, and other products where hygiene is important.
Stainless steel surface treatment that retains its metallic luster is possible because stainless steel forms a passive film that inhibits the formation of rust on its own. Here, we will explain the passive film of stainless steel.
First of all, iron, the main component of stainless steel, rusts when it is oxidized in the atmosphere. As rust progresses, the iron itself breaks down into pieces. However, when iron is mixed with chromium, the chromium oxidizes more than the iron.
The surface of the chromium oxidizes before the iron, forming an oxide film. This is the passive film of stainless steel. Especially when the chromium content exceeds 11%, the steel is almost rust-free.
Even if the surface of stainless steel is scratched, a passive film is formed immediately. As long as the regeneration of the passive film is not disturbed, stainless steel will not rust.
There are various types of surface treatment methods. Commonly used surface treatments include:
Oxide scale on the stainless steel surface has been removed. The surface has no luster and is silvery white.
The product is heat-treated, pickling, and finished with a matte finish.
No.2D Finished material with a glossy finish. The surface is smooth and has a slight sheen.
This is a surface treatment in which bright heat treatment is performed after cold rolling. This treatment is close to a mirror surface.
No.2B is further polished and has a higher luster than No.2B.
A surface finish, which includes with scratch lines in a vertical pattern. This surface treatment method is often used for building materials.
Finished with a finer polish than #400 finish. Also called semi-mirror finish. It is characterized by the fact that it leaves finer scratches than mirror finish.
A mirror finish. The surface will have a shiny finish without a single scratch.
Pickling is the process of cleaning stainless steel surfaces by immersing them in strong acids such as sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid, and is performed to "remove impurities" and "improve corrosion resistance."
Pickling for the purpose of "removal of impurities" removes burns, black peels, rust, fine scratches, burrs, cutting oil, etc., which are produced during heat treatment, inventory storage, etc., and machining process. This process cleans up the surface condition, and the surface is finished as a base by creating an appropriate unevenness, which improves the quality of the subsequent stainless steel surface treatment.
Pickling for the purpose of "improving corrosion resistance" is to remove the passive film on the stainless steel surface that has already formed, and to form a new, clean one. Passive film is formed on stainless steel as it is, but corrosion resistance is reduced due to destruction of the film by heat treatment, machining, transportation, and storage.
Therefore, acid washing is used to remove the passive film that has degraded corrosion resistance and to re-form a clean passive film on the stainless steel surface.
Stainless steel surface treatment can be blackened by chemical methods such as chromium oxidation, sulfurization, and high-temperature coloring in alkaline solution. Stainless steel surface treatment by black oxidation provides better corrosion resistance, heat resistance, and abrasion resistance than ordinary passivation coatings.
In addition, since reflection can be suppressed, it is used for parts of optical equipment, etc., and as a decoration.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Delstar Metal Finishing, Inc., established in 2002 and headquartered in Texas, USA, is a manufacturer of metal finishing services. The company provides electropolishing, metal pickling, and chemical cleaning services. These products serve in semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical processing, and defense industries. Its operations span polishing small 1/16-inch diameter tubing to handling colossal process vessels akin to railroad tank cars. The company has SEM, AES, and ESCA certifications facilitated by reputable U.S. independent laboratories. It employs computerized procedures and strict bath chemistry controls in its processes and services.
Advanced Plating Technologies (APT) is an American contract manufacturer specializing in metal plating and finishing services that was originally founded in 1948 as the Artistic Plating Company before rebranding in 2013. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the company offers plating services using various metals such as gold, electrolytic nickel, and electroless nickel. They also provide finishing and surface treatment capabilities including passivation, cleaning, and powder coating. APT chiefly serves clients in the power transmission and distribution, telecommunication, electric vehicle, and ammunition and firearms industries.
New England Electropolishing was established in 1985 and headquartered in Fall River, MA, as a manufacturer of stainless steel electropolishing machinery. The company began by providing core services in electropolishing high-volume small parts and later expanded to include larger weldments and vessels. Its capacity for electropolishing parts ranges from intricate hypodermic tubing to structures larger than 45 square feet. The company has experience working within the medical, precision machining, and semiconductor industries. The company obtained ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certifications that recognize the standards of quality management in medical devices.
Modern Metal Finishing Inc. is a metal finishing company that provides a wide range of services, including electroplating, anodizing, and powder coating. It is headquartered in Oxford, Connecticut, and was established in 1992. The company specializes in metal finishing services that include electroplating, a process that coats metal with a thin layer of another metal or anodizing, a process that forms a protective oxide layer on the surface of a metal. MMF also does powder coating, a process that applies a powder coating to the surface of a metal. Modern Metal Finishing Inc. serves multiple industries, including automotive, aerospace, and medical.
Cor-Pro Systems Inc., founded in the United States, is a supplier of corrosion protection for critical equipment. The company offers a range of coatings that are designed to protect equipment, structures, and components from corrosion in challenging environments. It offers services for surface preparation and coating application including, epoxy and urethane coatings, 1-hour cure epoxies, zinc primers, enamels, and water resistant coating. It serves markets such as marine, pipeline and subsea.
Qingdao Chifine Machinery Co. Ltd. is a Chinese custom manufacturer of metal casting and machining products established in 2005 and located in Qingdao, Shandong. The company primarily offers custom steel, aluminum, and iron casting products. These include cast iron metal casting counterweights, steel marine connection hardware, and trailer half-axles for agricultural machinery. It also offers machine components including crown bevel gear and pinion shafts, precision machine wheel transmissions, and mechanical steel CNC lathe parts. The company serves clients from a wide range of industries including petroleum, agriculture, and mining.
X-Metal Material Co.,LTD, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Foshan, China, is a manufacturer of stainless steel decorative sheets. The company designs and manufactures stainless steel finishes for the global decoration industry. Its surface processing techniques include PVD coating, mirror polishing, bead-blasting, etching and embossing. These sheets are used in elevators, construction, decoration and interior application. It has introduced the AFP coating technology that is a nanocoated, anti-fingertrip film which miinimzes the stickiness of fingerprints and markings on stainless steel sheets.
Iwatani Corporation, estabished in 1930 in Tokyo, Japan is a manufacturer of ‘decarbonized’ energy-related products such as liquified petroleum gas, natural gas, helium and hydrogen gas. The company specializes in producing energy for commercial purposes and develops home propane gas, cassette gas-associated products, LPG, hydrogen gas, and diverse energy development products which are used in applications such as residential and commercial cooking, heating, industrial processes, and fuel for vehicles as a clean energy source for the environment.They are also engaged in various other businesses such as industrial chemicals, machinery, livestock and agricultural products.
Sun Industry Co., Ltd., established in 1949 with headquarters in Ina City, Nagano, Japan, is a supplier of specialty surface treatments for industry. The company's facilities offer numerous lines for such processes as electroless nickel plating, hard chrome plating, electroless tin plating, magnesium chemical conversion treatments, and stainless electropolishing. It acquired IATF 16949 certification of approval for the automotive industry in 2022 and serves industries that include automotive, agriculture machinery, electronics manufacturing, medical equipment manufacturing, and new energy.
Peregrine Metal Finishing, founded in Canada in 2016, is a supplier of metal treatment services. The company offers a variety of surface coatings, including plating, anodizing, and powder coating, to improve corrosion resistance and aesthetics, metal finishing services to ensure that treated metals meet specific texture and appearance requirements, and passivation services to enhance the corrosion resistance of stainless steel and other metals. It also provides tailored metal treatment solutions to cater to the specific industry needs.
Ranking as of April 2025
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Advanced Plating Technologies |
17.9%
|
| 2 | New England Electropolishing |
14.3%
|
| 3 | Modern Metal Finishing Inc. |
14.3%
|
| 4 | Delstar Metal Finishing, Inc. |
10.7%
|
| 5 | Qingdao Chifine Machinery Co.,Ltd |
7.1%
|
| 6 | Peregrine Metal Finishing Ltd. |
7.1%
|
| 7 | Cor-Pro Systems Inc. |
7.1%
|
| 8 | Harrison Electropolishing L.P. |
7.1%
|
| 9 | X-Metal Material Co.,LTD |
3.6%
|
| 10 | mirrorINOX GmbH & Co. KG |
3.6%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the stainless steel surface treatment page as of April 2025. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
| Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
|
United States of America
|
6 | 40.0% |
|
China
|
2 | 13.3% |
|
Japan
|
2 | 13.3% |
|
Germany
|
1 | 6.7% |
|
Australia
|
1 | 6.7% |
|
Netherlands
|
1 | 6.7% |
Republic of Korea
|
1 | 6.7% |
|
Canada
|
1 | 6.7% |
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