Plating & Finishes Guide
The finish on a fastener is its first line of defense against rust, and on high-strength hardware it also controls embrittlement risk and torque behavior. This guide covers every finish we stock, from plain and electroplated zinc through hot dip galvanize, black oxide, phosphate, passivation, and the engineered exterior coating systems.
Plain and Uncoated
Bare steel with no surface treatment and the lowest cost on the shelf. Suited to dry indoor use, temporary work, or parts that will be painted or coated after install. Stocked plain, matte, and to GM, Chrysler, and USA-made specifications.
Plain and Lubed
Plain steel carrying a light lubricant film. The lube steadies the friction coefficient so torque translates into predictable clamp load, and it slows flash rust in transit and storage.
Zinc Cr+3, Clear and Blue
The general-purpose plating and our highest volume finish. A thin electroplated zinc layer sealed with a trivalent chromate that resists rust indoors and in light outdoor service. Stocked clear, blue, and to the German type specification.
Yellow Zinc Cr+3
Zinc electroplate with a trivalent yellow chromate. It reads gold rather than clear and steps up corrosion resistance over clear zinc, which is why automotive and equipment prints often call it out by color.
Zinc Plated and Clear Zinc
The plain-language version of the same electroplated zinc coating, listed where the chromate type is not specified on the print. Light corrosion resistance for indoor and sheltered outdoor hardware.
Yellow Zinc Cr+6
Zinc plating with a hexavalent yellow chromate. It delivers more salt spray hours than trivalent for the same thickness and is still specified on legacy automotive and equipment prints where the finish is grandfathered.
Green Zinc and Zinc Cr+6 Coating
Hexavalent zinc systems built for extended salt spray, including green chromate coatings rated to 1500 hours. Chosen where the assembly has to hold up outdoors far longer than clear zinc allows.
Baked Zinc, Cr+3 and Cr+6
Zinc plating followed by a bake cycle that drives absorbed hydrogen back out of the steel. This matters on hardened and high-strength bolts where hydrogen embrittlement can crack a fastener days after install.
Yellow Zinc Bake
The same bake relief under a yellow chromate, in both trivalent and hexavalent versions. Standard on hardened yellow zinc hardware where color and embrittlement relief are both on the print.
Zinc with Wax
Zinc plating topped with a wax or lubricant film. The wax lowers and stabilizes friction so a torque spec produces the clamp load it was calculated for, common on structural and equipment assemblies.
Mechanical Zinc and Mechanical Galvanize
Zinc deposited by tumbling with glass media rather than electroplating. It coats hardened parts without introducing hydrogen, which sidesteps the embrittlement risk that drives the bake cycle on plated hardware.
Hot Dip Galvanize
Parts dipped in molten zinc for a thick, rugged barrier coating, far heavier than any electroplate. The heavy-duty choice for outdoor, structural, and high-exposure work. Stocked plain, with wax, with wax and blue dye, and no wax.
Galvanized
The general listing for zinc barrier coating where the process is not called out. Expect outdoor-grade corrosion resistance and a thicker, duller coating than electroplated zinc.
Black Oxide and Thermal Black Oxide
A conversion coating that turns the surface black and adds mild corrosion resistance, usually held with oil. Standard on socket products, tooling, and indoor hardware where low glare matters. Thermal black oxide is the high-temperature bath version.
Nylon Patch Black Oxide
Thermal black oxide with a nylon patch fused to the threads. The patch creates prevailing torque so the fastener resists backing out under vibration and can be reused several times.
Black and Gray Phosphate
A phosphate conversion coating that holds oil and paint well and adds mild corrosion resistance. Standard on drywall screws, deck screws, and hardware that will be painted or coated after install.
Phosphate and Oil
Phosphate with a sealed oil film. The oil carries most of the corrosion protection while the phosphate gives it something to hold onto, common on collated and bulk screws.
Strong Shield Coated
The proprietary exterior coating on Strong-Point® screws, engineered for long-term corrosion resistance on exterior wood, decking, and treated lumber where plain zinc would not last a season.
Climaseal and Ruspert Coated
Multi-layer engineered coating systems that stack zinc, a chemical conversion layer, and a baked ceramic or organic topcoat. They reach salt spray numbers well beyond electroplated zinc on exterior and coastal work.
Dacrotized and Zinc JS500
Zinc and aluminum flake coatings applied and cured rather than plated. They coat high-strength hardware with no hydrogen embrittlement risk and hold up in demanding automotive and industrial service.
Durablecoat
A colored exterior coating stocked in blue, white, silver, and bronze. It matches the finish to metal roofing, siding, and trim while carrying exterior-grade corrosion resistance on the screw.
Blue Ceramic Coated and War Coated
Ceramic-filled and proprietary war coatings built for exterior structural screws and heavy timber connectors, where the fastener sees weather and treated lumber chemistry at the same time.
Passivated and Waxed
The standard treatment for stainless. Passivation strips free iron from the surface so the chromium oxide layer can form clean and uniform. The wax overlay fights galling, which is the failure mode stainless threads are prone to.
Chrome, Nickel, Copper, and Bronze Plated
Decorative and functional metal plating. Chrome and nickel add hardness and a bright finish, copper serves electrical and grounding work, and bronze plating matches architectural and marine hardware.
Painted and Color Finishes
Painted topcoats over plain or zinc plated steel, stocked in white, black, bronze, and blue. Used where the fastener head has to disappear into finished trim, panel, or equipment color.
Cadmium II Yellow and Wax
A legacy plating with excellent corrosion resistance and lubricity, still specified on older aerospace and equipment prints. Largely replaced by zinc and coating systems on new designs.
| Finish | Corrosion Resistance | Typical Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain / Uncoated | None | Indoor, dry, paint-over | Lowest cost |
| Plain and Lubed | None | Controlled torque assembly | Stabilizes friction |
| Zinc Cr+3, Clear / Blue | Light | General indoor, light outdoor | Most common finish |
| Yellow Zinc Cr+3 | Light to moderate | Automotive, equipment | Gold tint, trivalent |
| Yellow Zinc Cr+6 | Moderate | Legacy automotive prints | Hexavalent chromate |
| Green Zinc Cr+6 | Moderate to heavy | Extended outdoor | Rated to 1500 hours |
| Baked Zinc, Cr+3 / Cr+6 | Light to moderate | Hardened, high-strength bolts | Relieves embrittlement |
| Zinc with Wax | Light to moderate | Structural, torque critical | Lubricated topcoat |
| Mechanical Zinc | Light to moderate | Hardened parts | No embrittlement risk |
| Hot Dip Galvanize | Heavy | Outdoor, structural, marine | Thickest zinc layer |
| Black Oxide / Thermal | Mild, with oil | Socket products, tooling | Adds no dimension |
| Black / Gray Phosphate | Mild | Drywall, deck, pre-paint | Holds oil and paint |
| Strong Shield Coated | Heavy | Exterior wood and decking | Strong-Point® screws |
| Climaseal / Ruspert | Heavy | Coastal, long service | Multi-layer system |
| Dacrotized / Zinc JS500 | Heavy | High-strength hardware | Zinc flake, no embrittlement |
| Durablecoat | Heavy | Metal roofing and siding | Color matched |
| Passivated and Waxed | Stainless base metal | Stainless hardware | Anti-galling wax |
| Chrome / Nickel Plated | Moderate | Decorative, hardness | Bright finish |
| Copper / Bronze Plated | Moderate | Electrical, architectural | Conductive, color match |
| Cadmium II Yellow | Heavy | Legacy aerospace prints | Largely superseded |
Browse Finishes We Stock
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