What HP Coatings does

HP Coatings (HPC High Performance Coatings) is an Australian specialty manufacturer of high-performance ceramic and dry-film coatings, headquartered in Leongatha, Victoria. Founded by Armand Thomas in 1982 and formally opening its Australian operations in January 1996, the company develops and in-house manufactures proprietary coating formulations originally derived from aerospace technology, with operating temperature ranges from -190°C to +1300°C+. Its portfolio spans four categories: exhaust coatings (HP1 Pol Alum, HP2 Satin Black, HP3 Cast Iron Grey, TC1 Turbo Coat Extreme), engine coatings (TBC1 thermal barrier plus DF1-DF4 dry-film lubricants), appearance coatings (AP series in 13 colors), and industrial coatings serving marine, aviation, mining, offshore, power, food processing, and gas sectors.

The business operates on a custom coating services model: customers mail or deliver parts to the Leongatha facility, which applies coatings in-house with a typical 7-day turnaround. Go-to-market is direct-to-customer via phone (03 5662 4719), email ([email protected]), and a website-hosted PDF order form, with no intermediated distribution. The company is privately held with 11-50 employees, no external funding rounds on record, and serves a global long-tail customer base described as "hundreds of thousands worldwide" across motorsport, industrial, aerospace, and OEM automotive segments. Notable customer references include V8 Supercar teams, CART, NASCAR, IMSA, Formula 1 teams, and world-top fuel drag racing champion Ed Hills, alongside 2001 recognition via the Gippsland Business Awards (sponsored by NAB Leongatha).

Name

HP Coatings

Legal name

HPC High Performance Coatings

Website

https://hpcoatings.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HP Coatings is an Australian specialty manufacturer of proprietary high-performance ceramic and dry-film coatings for motorsport, OEM automotive, aerospace, and industrial applications, serving hundreds of thousands of global customers via direct mail-in custom coating services from its Leongatha, Victoria facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Industrial Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive & Transportation Coatings (IMAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB), Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM)

Keywords

• Ceramic coatings
• Exhaust coatings
• Thermal barrier coatings
• Industrial protective coatings
• Dry film lubricants

Headquarters

HQ city

Leongatha

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Coating Services: HPC provides custom coating services for customer-provided parts and components. Customers mail or deliver parts for coating, with services including exhaust coatings, engine coatings, appearance coatings, and industrial coatings. Turnaround times mentioned as 7 days.
2. Industrial Coatings: Specialized coatings for industrial applications across marine, aviation, mining, automotive, offshore, power, food processing, and gas industries. coatings are designed for specific industrial challenges and applications.
3. Ceramic Coatings: All ceramic coatings are manufactured in-house, providing both the coating service and the proprietary coating materials. This vertical integration ensures quality control and pricing advantage.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HP Coatings manufactures proprietary high-performance ceramic coatings in-house at its Leongatha, Victoria facility and applies them as a custom coating service on customer-supplied parts. The product portfolio spans four categories (Exhaust, Engine, Appearance, Industrial) covering temperature ranges from -190°C to +1300°C+, serving motorsport, aerospace, OEM automotive, industrial, and enthusiast markets. Customers mail or deliver parts for coating with a typical turnaround of approximately 7 days.

Product overview

HP Coatings is a specialized manufacturer of high-performance industrial and automotive coatings based in Leongatha, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1982 and incorporated in 1996, the company offers a comprehensive portfolio of protective, lubritic, and appearance coatings organized into four main categories: Exhaust Coatings (HP1 Pol Alum, HP2 Satin Black, HP3 Cast Iron Grey, TC1 Turbo Coat Extreme), Engine Coatings (TBC1 Thermal Barrier Coating, DF1/Dry Film 1, DF2/Dry Film 2, DF3/Dry Film 3, DF4/Dry Film 4), Appearance Coatings (Hi-tech AP series in multiple colors), and Industrial Coatings for marine, aviation, mining, automotive, offshore, power, food, and gas sectors. All ceramic coatings are manufactured in-house at their Australian facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhaust Coatings (HP1 Pol Alum, HP2 Satin Black, HP3 Cast Iron Grey, TC1 Turbo Coat Extreme) Ceramic exhaust coatings applied to headers, extractors, manifolds, and turbochargers for professional and amateur motorsport customers, providing corrosion protection, thermal fatigue resistance, and heat management across an operating envelope of -190°C to +1300°C+. HP1 extends header life fivefold and reduces under-bonnet temperatures; TC1 Turbo Coat Extreme creates a thermal barrier used by CART, NASCAR, IMSA, V8 Supercar, and Formula 1 teams.
• Engine Coatings (TBC1 Thermal Barrier, DF1, DF2, DF3, DF4 Dry Film Lubricants) Engine-internal ceramic coatings applied to piston crowns, skirts, valves, combustion chambers, port runners, oil pump gears, springs, and oil pans for OEM automotive and motorsport applications. TBC1 delivers 10,000 psi bond strength with a non-porous ceramic matrix; DF1-DF4 are Molybdenum Disulfide and PTFE dry film lubricants that reduce friction, retain valve spring seat pressure up to 3x longer, and provide extreme release and corrosion protection. DF3 is a proprietary high-build formulation developed for top fuel drag racing.
• Hi-tech Appearance Coatings (AP Series) Inorganic polymer-based appearance coatings for street rod owners, motorcycle enthusiasts, and automotive hobbyists, applied to engine bays, frames, brake callipers, cylinder heads, and suspension components. Withstands 315°C with outstanding gloss retention, high impact resistance, and resistance to chemicals, solvents, staining, weathering, and UV exposure. Available in 13 colors including White, Prestige Silver, Polished Alloy, Grey, Charcoal Metallic, Gloss and Satin Black, Yellow, Gold, Blue, Bright Red, Dark Red, and Maroon.
• Industrial Coatings Specialized ceramic coatings for marine, aviation, mining, automotive, offshore, power generation, food processing, and gas industries. Designed to enhance durability, efficiency, and performance of surfaces exposed to harsh environments including saline corrosion, abrasion, extreme temperatures, and chemical attack.
• Custom Coating Application Service Custom application of HP Coatings' proprietary ceramic formulations to customer-supplied parts. Customers mail or deliver parts to the Leongatha facility for coating, with turnaround times of approximately 7 days. Orders are placed via PDF order form, phone (03 5662 4719), or email ([email protected]), open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:00pm.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5x increase in header/exhaust life with HP1 coating
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Holden Racing TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPC supported the Holden Racing Team during the 2001 V8 Supercar season. The team achieved dramatic success at Bathurst and the Australian Touring Car Championship. HPC provided coatings for performance and reliability benefits in racing applications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AkzoNobel: Global paints and coatings major with specialty industrial and automotive product lines. Competes broadly with HP Coatings in industrial protective coatings, marine, and automotive finishes through its International and Specialty Coatings segments.
• Axalta Coating Systems: Global coatings company with strength in automotive refinish, OEM, and industrial coatings. Overlaps with HP Coatings on automotive transportation coatings (refinish and OEM) and industrial protective coatings for harsh environments.
• Oerlikon Surface Solutions: Large diversified surface engineering and coatings provider offering thermal spray and high-temperature coatings for aerospace, automotive, and industrial markets. Operates at much larger scale but competes for industrial thermal-barrier and high-temperature coating business that HP Coatings addresses.
• PPG Industries: Global major coatings manufacturer with extensive industrial and automotive coatings portfolios. Competes with HP Coatings in automotive OEM coatings and industrial protective coatings segments, though at much larger scale and broader product breadth.

Direct peers

• Cerakote: Manufacturer and applicator of ceramic-based coatings for firearms, automotive, aerospace, and industrial uses with high-temperature resistance. Overlaps with HP Coatings' appearance (AP series) and industrial coatings lines, and serves adjacent automotive and industrial customers.
• Thermo-Tec: Manufacturer of thermal management products including exhaust wraps, ceramic coatings, and heat shielding for automotive and motorsport use. Closely comparable to HP Coatings on exhaust thermal coatings (HP1, HP2, HP3) and competes for the same street-rod and racing aftermarket customers.
• Swain Tech Coatings: US-based manufacturer of thermal barrier and dry-film coatings for high-performance engines, with comparable product families (exhaust, piston skirt, combustion chamber) to HP Coatings' engine coatings portfolio. Direct competitor in the enthusiast and professional motorsport segments.
• Zircotec: UK-based specialist in thermal barrier and ceramic coatings for motorsport, automotive, and industrial applications. Highly comparable to HP Coatings' thermal barrier (TBC1), exhaust (HP1/HP2), and dry-film lubricant (DF) product lines, and competes for the same racing-series and OEM customers.
• Tech Line Coatings: US-based manufacturer of engine and exhaust coatings including dry-film lubricants and thermal barrier products. Direct competitor in the engine coatings space (DF1, DF2, TBC1 analogs) for professional and amateur motorsport customers.
• Jet-Hot Performance Coatings: US-based applicator and formulator of high-performance ceramic exhaust and header coatings serving automotive, motorcycle, and racing markets. Comparable business model (send-in coating service plus proprietary chemistry) to HP Coatings' exhaust coatings portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HPCHighPerformanceCoatings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/high-performance-coatings-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 HP Coatings