PVD, CVD & thermal spray
Vacuum-deposited ceramic films and sprayed carbides — TiN, TiAlN, CrN, DLC, HVOF tungsten carbide.
PVD hard coatings
Vacuum-deposited ceramic films 1–5 µm thick — TiN, TiAlN, CrN, DLC. Tool-grade hardness with almost no dimensional change.
| Finish | Suitable materials | Thickness (µm) | Hardness (HV) | Max temp (°C) | Electrical | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aluminum Chromium Nitride PVD AlCrN is a dark grey PVD coating for high-temperature cutting, forming, moulding, and die casting tooling. | SteelTungsten Alloy 5 more materials
| 1–5 | 2,900–3,400 | 1,100 | Semi-conductive | $$$$High |
 Aluminum Titanium Nitride PVD AlTiN is a high-aluminum nitride PVD coating for dry, high-speed machining of hardened steels. | SteelTungsten Alloy 5 more materials
| 1–5 | 3,200–3,800 | 900 | Semi-conductive | $$$$High |
 Chromium Nitride PVD CrN is a silver-grey, tough PVD coating used on plastic moulds, forming tools, medical instruments, and anti-galling components. | Stainless SteelSteel 4 more materials
| 1–5 | 1,600–2,000 | 700 | Conductive | $$$$High |
 Diamond-Like Carbon Coating DLC is a family of black amorphous-carbon coatings used for very low friction and severe sliding wear. | Stainless SteelSteelTitanium 3 more materials
| 1–3 | 2,000–5,000 | 350 | Semi-conductive | $$$$High |
 Molybdenum Disulfide PVD MoS2 is a soft, dark-grey solid-lubricant coating selected for dry and vacuum mechanisms. | Stainless SteelSteel 4 more materials
| 1–3 | 40–60 | 400 | Semi-conductive | $$$$High |
 Titanium Aluminum Nitride PVD TiAlN is a violet-black PVD coating for high-speed and dry cutting. | SteelTungsten Alloy 5 more materials
| 1–5 | 3,000–3,500 | 800 | Semi-conductive | $$$$High |
 Titanium Carbonitride PVD TiCN is a blue-grey PVD tool coating with about 3000 HV hardness and lower friction than TiN. | Stainless SteelSteelTungsten Alloy 4 more materials
| 1–5 | 2,800–3,200 | 400 | Conductive | $$$$High |
 Titanium Diboride PVD TiB2 is a hard grey PVD coating chosen mainly to resist aluminum adhesion on cutting and forming tools. | SteelTungsten Alloy 5 more materials
| 1–5 | 3,000–4,000 | 700 | Conductive | $$$$High |
 Titanium Nitride PVD TiN is a gold, hard ceramic PVD coating for cutting tools, moulds, medical instruments, and decorative stainless hardware. | Stainless SteelSteelTungsten Alloy 4 more materials
| 1–5 | 2,000–2,500 | 600 | Conductive | $$$$High |
 Tungsten Carbide Carbon PVD WC/C is a tungsten-containing hydrogenated amorphous-carbon coating, often written a-C:H:W, for sliding and rolling components. | Stainless SteelSteel 4 more materials
| 1–5 | 1,000–1,500 | 350 | Semi-conductive | $$$$High |
 Zirconium Nitride PVD ZrN is a light-gold PVD coating used for decorative stainless products and for wear on non-ferrous cutting tools. | Stainless SteelSteelTungsten Alloy 4 more materials
| 1–5 | 2,500–3,000 | 600 | Conductive | $$$$High |
CVD coatings
High-temperature vapour deposition for carbide inserts and wear parts — thicker and harder than PVD, substrate-limited.
| Finish | Suitable materials | Thickness (µm) | Hardness (HV) | Max temp (°C) | Electrical | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 CVD Alumina CVD alumina is an electrically insulating ceramic layer used as a thermal and oxidation barrier on carbide cutting inserts. | Tungsten Alloy | 5–20 | 1,800–2,200 | 1,000 | Insulating | $$$$High |
 CVD Titanium Carbonitride CVD TiCN is a thick, very hard wear layer used in carbide-insert coating stacks. | Tungsten Alloy Steel (limited) | 5–15 | 2,800–3,200 | 400 | Conductive | $$$$High |
 CVD Titanium Nitride CVD TiN is a thick, conformal gold tool coating used mainly on cemented-carbide inserts. | Tungsten Alloy Steel (limited) | 5–15 | 2,000–2,500 | 600 | Conductive | $$$$High |
 Multilayer CVD Tool Coating Multilayer CVD combines TiN, TiCN, alumina, or related layers to balance adhesion, abrasion resistance, heat shielding, and wear indication on carbide inserts. | Tungsten Alloy Steel (limited) | 5–20 | 1,800–3,200 | 1,000 | Semi-conductive | $$$$High |
Thermal spray
Molten or semi-molten particles sprayed onto the part — HVOF carbides, plasma ceramics. Thick, rebuildable, ground to size.
| Finish | Suitable materials | Thickness (µm) | Hardness (HV) | Max temp (°C) | Electrical | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 HVOF Carbide Coating HVOF accelerates WC-Co or Cr3C2-NiCr particles in a supersonic combustion jet to make dense 50–500 µm wear coatings. | Nickel AlloyStainless SteelSteel 4 more materials
| 50–500 | 1,000–1,400 | 500 | Conductive | $$$$High |
 Plasma Spray Coating Plasma spray propels molten or softened ceramic or metallic powder onto a grit-blasted substrate to build 50–500 µm coatings. | Nickel AlloyStainless SteelSteel 4 more materials
| 50–500 | 500–900 | 1,000 | Insulating | $$$$High |
Ranges depend on the substrate and process specification. Open a finish for test conditions and design limits. A dash means no value is listed.
Where hard coatings finishes sit
Corrosion protection and surface hardness across the finish library. Click a dot to open its page.
Scores use salt-spray hours and Vickers hardness, both on log scales. Other groups appear as outlines.