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Zirconium Nitride PVD

PVD hard coatings · Vacuum deposition

ZrN is a light-gold PVD coating used for decorative stainless products and for wear on non-ferrous cutting tools.

CNC machiningSheet metalHigh cost $$$$Conductive
Quote a part with ZrN PVDCompare pvd hard coatings
Zirconium Nitride PVD on a machined part

What is ZrN PVD?

It is typically about 2800 HV and useful to about 600 °C.

How it works

Zirconium is reactively deposited with nitrogen by arc or sputter PVD onto an ion-cleaned, conductive substrate. A hardened base supports functional wear loads, while a polished stainless base supplies decorative smoothness. Typical PVD exposure is about 200–500 °C; aluminum needs a low-temperature qualified cycle.

Why specify it

  • About 2800 HV hardness
  • Light champagne-gold colour
  • 1–5 µm low-buildup film
  • Useful to about 600 °C

Where it falls short

  • Colour varies with process and substrate
  • Not solid gold
  • Needs hard support for wear
  • Line-of-sight deposition

ZrN PVD at a glance

ZrN PVD is strongest on surface hardness (90 of 100) and cosmetic quality (92 of 100), at a high cost.

Corrosion protectionFair52 / 100
Surface hardnessExcellent90 / 100
Cosmetic qualityExcellent92 / 100
LubricityFair52 / 100
Relative costHigh82 / 100
CorrosionHardnessCosmeticLubricityEconomy

Each score is 0–100 against every finish in this catalog. Corrosion comes from salt-spray life (ASTM B117, log scale) and hardness from the finish layer's Vickers or pencil hardness; cosmetic, lubricity and cost are FabDigit's engineering assessment. Economy on the radar is the inverse of cost.

ZrN PVD key numbers

Typical values from the governing specifications and shop practice; bars are this finish against the highest value among pvd hard coatings finishes.

Thickness1–5 µm0.04–0.2 mil
Hardness2,500–3,000 HV
Max service temp.600 °C1,112 °F
Thickness
2–4 µm functional; thinner decorative colour layers may be used
Hardness
2,500–3,000 HV — Approximately 2800 HV typical.
Electrical
Conductive
Colours
  • light gold
  • champagne gold
Appearance
Pale gold to champagne with polish visible beneath.

Where ZrN PVD sits among all finishes

Surface hardness (Vickers, log scale) against corrosion protection (salt-spray hours, log scale) for every coating FabDigit offers, one cloud per finish group. ZrN PVD is highlighted; hover a dot for its name or open the full map.

02550751000255075100Corrosion protection (0–100)Surface hardness (HV, log scale, 0–100)Plating — 19 finishesHard coatings — 17 finishesAnodize & conversion — 8 finishesPaint & powder — 7 finisheshard, low corrosion protectionhard and protectiveprotective, softsoft, little protectionType II anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 54BSA anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 52Type I anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 49Hard anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 61PTFE hard anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 61Nitriding — corrosion 55, hardness 73PEO — corrosion 70, hardness 74Sherardizing — corrosion 83, hardness 56Brass plate — corrosion 35, hardness 44Bronze plate — corrosion 40, hardness 49Cadmium plate — corrosion 70, hardness 26Copper plate — corrosion 32, hardness 39Decorative chrome — corrosion 64, hardness 71Electroless copper — corrosion 20, hardness 41Electroless nickel — corrosion 70, hardness 68Nickel plate — corrosion 51, hardness 55Gold plate — corrosion 68, hardness 39Hard chrome — corrosion 40, hardness 73Hot-dip zinc — corrosion 90, hardness 42Nickel-PTFE — corrosion 72, hardness 57Silver plate — corrosion 55, hardness 39Solder plate — corrosion 42, hardness 9Tin plate — corrosion 34, hardness 0Zinc plate — corrosion 60, hardness 30Zinc-nickel — corrosion 86, hardness 60Cerakote — corrosion 83, hardness 27E-coat — corrosion 83, hardness 15Epoxy coat — corrosion 83, hardness 15Powder coat — corrosion 83, hardness 14Wet paint — corrosion 59, hardness 10AlCrN PVD — corrosion 58, hardness 93AlTiN PVD — corrosion 52, hardness 94CrN PVD — corrosion 62, hardness 83DLC — corrosion 55, hardness 93MoS2 PVD — corrosion 20, hardness 26TiAlN PVD — corrosion 50, hardness 93TiCN PVD — corrosion 40, hardness 92TiB2 PVD — corrosion 40, hardness 94TiN PVD — corrosion 45, hardness 87WC/C PVD — corrosion 48, hardness 77CVD alumina — corrosion 70, hardness 85CVD TiCN — corrosion 38, hardness 92CVD TiN — corrosion 45, hardness 87Multilayer CVD — corrosion 62, hardness 88HVOF coating — corrosion 78, hardness 77Plasma spray — corrosion 60, hardness 68Plastic chrome — corrosion 72, hardness 71Electroless plastic — corrosion 58, hardness 39Clear coat — corrosion 20, hardness 12Soft-touch — corrosion 20, hardness 5PLATINGHARD COATINGSANODIZE & CONVERSIONPAINT & POWDERTiN PVDTiB2 PVDType II anodizePowder coatZinc plateZinc-nickelHard chromeDLCTin plateCadmium plateE-coatCerakoteWet paintHot-dip zincNitridingHVOF coatingZrN PVD — corrosion 52, hardness 90ZrN PVD
02550751000255075100Corrosion protection (0–100)Surface hardness (HV, log scale, 0–100)Plating — 19 finishesHard coatings — 17 finishesAnodize & conversion — 8 finishesPaint & powder — 7 finishesType II anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 54BSA anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 52Type I anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 49Hard anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 61PTFE hard anodize — corrosion 71, hardness 61Nitriding — corrosion 55, hardness 73PEO — corrosion 70, hardness 74Sherardizing — corrosion 83, hardness 56Brass plate — corrosion 35, hardness 44Bronze plate — corrosion 40, hardness 49Cadmium plate — corrosion 70, hardness 26Copper plate — corrosion 32, hardness 39Decorative chrome — corrosion 64, hardness 71Electroless copper — corrosion 20, hardness 41Electroless nickel — corrosion 70, hardness 68Nickel plate — corrosion 51, hardness 55Gold plate — corrosion 68, hardness 39Hard chrome — corrosion 40, hardness 73Hot-dip zinc — corrosion 90, hardness 42Nickel-PTFE — corrosion 72, hardness 57Silver plate — corrosion 55, hardness 39Solder plate — corrosion 42, hardness 9Tin plate — corrosion 34, hardness 0Zinc plate — corrosion 60, hardness 30Zinc-nickel — corrosion 86, hardness 60Cerakote — corrosion 83, hardness 27E-coat — corrosion 83, hardness 15Epoxy coat — corrosion 83, hardness 15Powder coat — corrosion 83, hardness 14Wet paint — corrosion 59, hardness 10AlCrN PVD — corrosion 58, hardness 93AlTiN PVD — corrosion 52, hardness 94CrN PVD — corrosion 62, hardness 83DLC — corrosion 55, hardness 93MoS2 PVD — corrosion 20, hardness 26TiAlN PVD — corrosion 50, hardness 93TiCN PVD — corrosion 40, hardness 92TiB2 PVD — corrosion 40, hardness 94TiN PVD — corrosion 45, hardness 87WC/C PVD — corrosion 48, hardness 77CVD alumina — corrosion 70, hardness 85CVD TiCN — corrosion 38, hardness 92CVD TiN — corrosion 45, hardness 87Multilayer CVD — corrosion 62, hardness 88HVOF coating — corrosion 78, hardness 77Plasma spray — corrosion 60, hardness 68Plastic chrome — corrosion 72, hardness 71Electroless plastic — corrosion 58, hardness 39Clear coat — corrosion 20, hardness 12Soft-touch — corrosion 20, hardness 5PLATINGHARD COATINGSANODIZE & CONVERSIONPAINT & POWDERTiN PVDTiB2 PVDPowder coatZinc plateZrN PVD — corrosion 52, hardness 90ZrN PVD
Anodize & conversionPlatingPaint & powderHard coatings

Specifications for ZrN PVD

The documents a drawing cites to define this finish, with the Type / Class rows that apply. Each links to a page explaining the standard.

Drawing call-out

PVD COAT VISIBLE SURFACES ZrN, 2–3 µm THICK, LIGHT GOLD; MAX PROCESS TEMPERATURE 450 °C; MASK THREADS AND FITS

Which materials take ZrN PVD?

Verdict per material family, with the grades that behave differently. Each family links to its datasheets in the material library.

Material familyVerdictNotes
Stainless Steel
YesPolished stainless is a common decorative ZrN substrate.
Steel
YesHarden for functional wear.
Tungsten Alloy
YesSuitable on carbide tools.
Titanium
With carePossible with a qualified adhesion layer and a cycle that avoids excessive interstitial pickup.
Aluminum
LimitedLow-temperature cycle only.
Brass
LimitedSoft zinc-bearing alloy; decorative PVD is possible, not a wear-tool substrate.
Copper Alloy
LimitedSoft copper alloys do not support a hard nitride; decorative films need a qualified adhesion layer.
Magnesium Alloy
NoMelting point and reactivity exclude conventional PVD tool-coating cycles.
Polymer
NoUse vacuum metallization or a qualified metallized base instead.
Zinc Alloy
NoMelting point is below typical PVD process temperature.

How ZrN PVD is applied, and what it does to the part

  1. 1Polish and clean
  2. 2Ion etch
  3. 3Adhesion layer
  4. 4Reactive ZrN deposition
  5. 5Colour and thickness inspection
DimensionsAllow approximately +1–4 µm per coated side for functional films.
Build-up per side1–4 µm — Functional allowance; decorative systems may be thinner.
MaskingUsually needed. Mask threads, contacts, and close fits.
ElectricalConductive
Temperature limit600 °C (1,112 °F) continuous
AppearancePale gold to champagne with polish visible beneath.
Added lead time5–10 working days on top of the bare part

Design rules for ZrN PVD

What to decide on the drawing before the part goes to the finisher.

  1. Approve a colour sample.Gold tone varies by thickness and process.
  2. Polish decorative surfaces first.The thin coating reproduces substrate finish.
  3. Use hardened support for tooling.Film hardness cannot compensate for substrate yield.
  4. Mask fits and contacts.The coating changes size and electrical interfaces.

ZrN PVD versus the alternatives

Finishes engineers weigh against ZrN PVD, and when each wins.

FinishCorrosionHardnessCosmeticCostThicknessChoose it when
ZrN PVD
this page
529092$$$$1–5 µm—
Titanium Nitride PVD
ZrN PVD vs Titanium Nitride PVD →
458788$$$$1–5 µma deeper gold colour is wanted
Titanium Diboride PVD
ZrN PVD vs Titanium Diboride PVD →
409442$$$$1–5 µmaluminum cutting performance is primary
CorrosionHardnessCosmeticLubricityEconomy
ZrN PVDTitanium Nitride PVD

The radar overlays ZrN PVD with Titanium Nitride PVD, its most common alternative — chosen a deeper gold colour is wanted. Scores in the table are 0–100 across every finish in the catalog.

Cost, lead time and compliance

Relative cost

Zirconium Nitride PVD is a high-cost finish ($$$$): more expensive than about 88 % of the finishes FabDigit quotes.

Finishing is priced per part with a lot minimum, from FabDigit's own China-side rates. The exact figure appears on the instant quote once the part is uploaded.

Lead time and compliance

Added lead time5–10 working days
RoHSCompliant
NotesThe deposited nitride is generally RoHS-compliant.

What ZrN PVD is used for

  • Watch cases
  • Bathroom hardware
  • Consumer electronics trim
  • Non-ferrous cutting tools

ZrN PVD — frequently asked

ZrN vs TiN colour: what is the difference?

ZrN is usually a lighter champagne gold, while TiN is a deeper yellow gold. Both are ceramic nitrides, not gold metal.

How hard is ZrN coating?

ZrN is typically about 2800 HV, with values around 2500–3000 HV. Substrate support still controls denting.

How thick is ZrN PVD?

Functional films are commonly 1–5 µm, often 2–4 µm. Decorative colour layers may be thinner and should be agreed by sample.

Can ZrN coat stainless steel?

Yes; polished stainless is a common decorative substrate. Adhesion pretreatment and colour sample approval are important.

Can aluminum be PVD coated gold?

Yes with a low-temperature PVD system qualified for the alloy temper. Standard 200–500 °C tool-coating cycles may soften aluminum.