Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive
(Hard Chrome Plating)

by Randy Taylor, Advanced Tooling Corporation
May, 2008

 

Heating a Chrome Plated Pipe

Q. I have a hard chrome pipe that has a plating thickness of 0.015mm and its i.d & o.d is 24 & 34 mm. If I heat up the inner diameter to 200° then what will be the impact of the heat on the hard chrome surface?

A. Assuming the “hard pipe” is a hard steel or stainless steel material, consider the following. 1.) chrome plated parts are routinely baked after plating at 375°F (192°C) for up to 23 hours to relieve hydrogen embrittlement. 2.) The typical service use limit of chrome plated high strength steel components in is the neighborhood of 752°F ( 400°F). 3.) Carburized alloys are the exception, and are baked at 275°F after plating, to avoid affecting the hardened surface.

Based on these facts, unless your “hard pipe” has been “carburized”, exposure to 200°F or 200oC, should not make a significant impact.

RT