U.S. Chrome

What U.S. Chrome does

U.S. Chrome Corporation is a privately-held, family-owned industrial surface finishing company founded in 1940 and headquartered in Stratford, Connecticut. The company provides precision hard chrome plating, electroless nickel plating, electrolytic (sulfamate) nickel plating, thin dense chrome, flash chrome, and proprietary composite coatings (NiCom and TriCom) to industrial OEMs across aerospace, defense, medical, oil & gas, agriculture, and alternative energy sectors. Operations span five production facilities in the United States (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio) with a 5,000 sq ft Wisconsin expansion underway dedicated to NiCom capacity, plus a newly-acquired in-house grinding operation integrated into the Connecticut facility in 2025.

The technology stack centers on proprietary electroplating chemistry and process know-how developed over 80+ years, including a unique capability to deposit chromium directly on titanium and aluminum alloys that many in the industry consider unachievable, and the NiCom/TriCom composite coating families serving as hard chrome alternatives for engine bores and high-temperature/fretting wear applications. The company holds Nadcap AC7004 (Aerospace Quality Systems) and AC7108 (Chemical Processing) at three facilities, ISO 9001:2015 at two, FAA Certified Repair Station designation, and compliance with MIL-C-23422, MIL-STD-1501, SAE AMS2406/2460, ASTM B650, RoHS, and REACH. A flagship technical credential is the development of a specialized chromium plating process for NASA JPL's Europa Clipper spacecraft rotor components operating at 12,000 rpm in deep-space thermal conditions.

U.S. Chrome operates a B2B professional services model with quote-based pricing determined per job by plating type, thickness, base metal, geometry, and required specifications. Customer acquisition runs through direct sales engineers responding to quote requests, sustained presence at major trade shows (SHOT Show, IMTS, EASTEC, NRA, Design-2-Part), content marketing, and engineering partnerships. The company sells into diversified end markets with aerospace and defense as primary verticals, supported by quality certifications and 80+ years of brand reputation. Marketing channels emphasize technical education and engineering co-development rather than price competition.

Name

U.S. Chrome

Legal name

U.S. Chrome Corporation

Website

https://uschrome.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

U.S. Chrome Corporation is a family-owned industrial surface finishing company founded in 1940, providing precision hard chrome plating, electroless nickel, and proprietary composite coatings (NiCom, TriCom) to aerospace, defense, medical, oil & gas, agricultural, and alternative energy OEMs across five U.S. production facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stratford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Services: B2B industrial plating services for aerospace, defense, medical, oil & gas, agriculture, and alternative energy industries. Services include hard chrome plating, flash chrome, thin dense chrome, electroless nickel, and alternative coatings. Revenue generated through per-job pricing based on part specifications, plating type, and processing requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

U.S. Chrome provides industrial electroplating and metal finishing services, including hard chrome plating, flash chrome, thin dense chrome, electroless nickel, electrolytic (sulfamate) nickel, and proprietary composite coatings (NiCom, TriCom). The company serves aerospace, defense, medical, oil & gas, agriculture, and alternative energy customers through five U.S. plating facilities, delivering wear resistance, corrosion protection, and dimensional restoration for engineered metal components. In-house grinding, honing, lapping, and polishing services were added through a 2025 acquisition.

Product overview

U.S. Chrome is an industrial hard chrome plating and metal finishing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of surface coating services. The core offerings center on electroplating processes including Hard Chrome Plating, Flash Chrome Plating, Thin Dense Chrome Plating, Electroless Nickel Plating, and Electrolytic (Sulfamate) Nickel Plating. The company also provides alternative composite coatings including NiCom (Nickel Silicon Carbide) and TriCom as environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional chrome. Additional specialty services include chrome plating on difficult-to-plate substrates like aluminum and titanium, and in-house grinding services acquired in 2025. U.S. Chrome serves aerospace, defense, medical, agriculture, oil & gas, and alternative energy industries across five U.S. facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NiCom: Nickel Silicon Carbide (NiCom) electro-composite plating technology for engine cylinder bore applications, providing sliding wear resistance and lubricity for internal combustion engines including drones, snowmobiles, motorcycles, marine, automotive, and high performance racing.
• TriCom

Products and services

• Hard Chrome Plating Industrial hard chrome plating service that deposits a thick layer of chromium onto metallic components for reduced friction, improved durability, wear resistance, and dimensional restoration of worn parts. Hardness of 65-70 HRC. Used by aerospace, defense, and industrial OEMs.
• Flash Chrome Plating

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced coefficient of friction to 0.15 (dry) and 0.03 (oiled) for chromium on hard steel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022U.S. Chrome partnered with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Europa Clipper spacecraft mission. After NASA JPL discovered failure in the spacecraft's Heat Redistribution System due to hard chromium plating issues on permanent magnet rotors, U.S. Chrome developed specialized plating processes over 2 years to successfully plate the critical components. The rotors operate at 12,000 rpm in the canned pump system controlling spacecraft temperature in space (-455°F/-270°C). This partnership demonstrates U.S. Chrome's R&D capabilities and precision plating expertise for space applications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Anoplate Corporation: Syracuse, NY-based industrial hard chrome and electroless nickel plater serving aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial OEMs — direct overlap with U.S. Chrome's core service lines and customer verticals on the East Coast.
• Tiodize Company: California-based specialty coatings and surface treatments provider (including hard chrome alternatives, dry film lubricants, and anti-corrosion coatings) for aerospace and defense — competes in the alternative-coatings adjacency where U.S. Chrome's NiCom/TriCom reside.
• KC Jones Plating Company: Warren, MI-based hard chrome and electroless nickel plater with deep automotive, aerospace, and heavy equipment exposure — directly comparable mid-sized family-owned plating specialist competing for similar OEM programs.
• Hohman Plating & Manufacturing: Dayton, OH-based hard chrome, electroless nickel, and Teflon/specialty coatings provider to aerospace, defense, and industrial customers — geographically adjacent to U.S. Chrome's Ohio facility and overlapping in Nadcap-certified work.
• Advanced Plating Technologies: Nashville, TN-based industrial hard chrome and electroless nickel plater serving aerospace, hydraulics, and heavy equipment customers — comparable scale, certification profile, and aerospace/defense customer mix.
• General Magnaplate: New Jersey-based industrial surface treatment and plating company with proprietary coating families (Tufram, Nedox, Magnadize) — directly comparable in offering proprietary specialty coatings for aerospace, medical, and industrial customers.
• Bales Metal Surface Solutions: Downers Grove, IL-based Nadcap-accredited plating shop offering hard chrome, electroless nickel, and zinc-nickel for aerospace, military, and industrial customers — directly comparable Illinois-market competitor to U.S. Chrome's Freeport facility.

Broad incumbents

• Bodycote: Global thermal processing and surface treatments giant offering shot peening, diffusion coatings, and specialty surface services to aerospace, automotive, and industrial OEMs — overlapping end markets at much larger scale, including aerospace-qualified capacity that competes with U.S. Chrome.
• Pioneer Metal Finishing: Large US metal finishing platform with multiple facilities offering plating, anodizing, and surface treatments across aerospace, defense, automotive, and medical — broader service portfolio and footprint than U.S. Chrome but operating in the same end markets.
• Praxair Surface Technologies: Linde-owned industrial coatings and thermal spray provider serving aerospace, energy, and industrial markets — broader product portfolio including high-velocity oxy-fuel and plasma spray that overlaps with U.S. Chrome's aerospace and energy vertical exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/uschrome
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/u-s-chrome-corporation

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U.S. Chrome