Electroless Nickel Plating

Electroless nickel is useful for maintaining inside dimensions and irregular shapes where uniform assembly tolerances are required. The color of electroless nickel is similar to stainless steel. Electroless nickel plates uniformly in recesses and cavities and does not build up on edges. Corrosion resistance in electroless nickel is good for coatings over .001″ thickness. Medium phosphorus electroless nickel is the most commonly used coating. High phosphorus is used primarily for increased corrosion resistance and in food grade applications. Mid and high phosphorus electroless nickel deposits are hard as deposited (HRc40-45). These are hardened by baking to produce a coating similar in hardness to hard chromium (HRc 65-70).