TRIVALENT CHROMIUM FINISHING MARKET SIZE AND SHARE ANALYSIS - GROWTH TRENDS AND FORECASTS (2024-2031)

The Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market size is valued at US$ 331.3 Million in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 444 Million by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% from 2024 to 2031.

Trivalent chromium finishing is an electroplating process that involves depositing a protective chromium layer on metal surfaces. There are two types of chromium plating: trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium. Trivalent chromium plating uses trivalent chromium salts, which are less toxic than the hexavalent chromium compounds used in traditional chromium plating.  

Trivalent chromium provides corrosion protection, wear resistance, and an aesthetically pleasing shiny appearance to plated parts. It is commonly used to plate steel, aluminum, and other metal alloys that are used in the automotive, aerospace, architectural, and other industries. Some key advantages of trivalent chromium plating include low environmental impact, compliance with stringent regulatory norms, and similar protective properties as compared to traditional hexavalent chromium. However, the trivalent chromium plating process can be slightly more expensive than traditional chromium due to the specialized equipment and plating chemicals required. Additionally, the corrosion and wear resistance of trivalent chrome may not be as high as compared to hexavalent chrome in some applications.

Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market Regional Insights:

• Asia Pacific: Asia Pacific has emerged as the fastest-growing market, having share of 40% in the market, led by countries such as China and India. Rapid industrialization and infrastructure growth, complemented by supportive government policies, have boosted manufacturing activities across sectors.
• North America: North America has dominated the second-largest 35% in global trivalent chromium finishing market for many years owing to its strong industrial presence and widespread end-use adoption across various verticals. The U.S. accounts for majority share of the region's market.
• Europe: The trivalent chromium finishing market in Europe holds 15% of the market. European countries have stringent regulations and standards to promote sustainable manufacturing practices and reduce the environmental impact of processing.

Figure 1. Global Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market Share (%), by Region, 2024

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Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market Analyst Viewpoint:

The trivalent chromium finishing market is expected to see steady growth over the coming years, driven by its increasing adoption as a more eco-friendly alternative to hexavalent chromium. The aerospace and automotive industries, where surface finishing plays a crucial role will be key adopters. However, cost remains a restraint, as trivalent chromium finishing has higher initial setup and operating costs compared to hexavalent chromium. Educating small businesses about its long term benefits and payback could help address this.

North America currently dominates trivalent chromium finishing usage due to stringent environmental regulations in the region. However, Asia Pacific is expected to see the fastest growth, fueled by the relocation of manufacturing facilities to countries like India and China. Rising environmental awareness in these emerging economies will also support market expansion. Suppliers would benefit from establishing local production sites or partnerships to cater to this demand.

The market is fairly consolidated with a few large suppliers dominating. However, there remains scope for specialized niche players focusing on specific applications. Suppliers investing in Research and Development (R&D) to develop more efficient processes and formulations tailored for different end-use industries could gain an edge over others. Collaboration with equipment manufacturers to integrate trivalent chrome finishing into existing electroplating lines can help lower costs and drive wider adoption among Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market Drivers:

• Trivalent Chromium Finishing to Enhance Durability and Longevity: The trivalent chromium finishing process is increasingly being utilized by various industries as it allows for durable and long-lasting surface finishes. Chromium plating provides exceptional wear and corrosion resistance properties that can significantly extend the lifespan of substrates. Parts that undergo trivalent chromium finishing exhibit increased protection against abrasion, chemicals, moisture, and other environmental conditions. This ensures substrate, such as metal components, maintain their structural integrity and aesthetic appeal over extensive usage periods. The enhanced durability and longevity offered by trivalent chromium finishing incentivizes its use across diverse applications. Manufacturers seeking low-maintenance and highly durable solutions for parts expose them to this process. It proves especially valuable for components in demanding industrial machinery and equipment that operate in harsh outdoor or wet environments. Regular use and exposure over long operational hours can cause unprotected surfaces to deteriorate quickly. However, the resilient chromium coating acts as a barrier, safeguarding the substrate underneath against damage. It ultimately helps lower overall costs through reduced downtime and maintenance requirements.
• Burgeoning Demand from Expanding End-use Industries: The flourishing growth witnessed in end-use industries has significantly contributed to the rising demand for trivalent chromium finishing. As global industrial and infrastructure development continues at an unprecedented pace, there is an increasing need for high-performance surface engineering solutions. Durable chromium coatings have found widespread application across burgeoning sectors such as automotive, aerospace, oil & gas, marine, construction, and heavy machinery. In the automotive industry, components such as engine parts, transmission shafts, and brake discs require defenses against corrosion, wear, and abrasion over prolonged use. Trivalent chromium plating delivers on these aspects and helps improve part lifetime as well as vehicular performance and fuel efficiency. Likewise, it is an essential process in the aerospace sector for manufacturing flight critical parts that endure varying thermal, pressure and friction stresses. In other industries, such as oil and gas, chrome pipes, valves and fittings are widely used to withstand water and chemical corrosion underground or at sea. Meanwhile, for infrastructure development, trivalent chromium plated rebar and railway tracks can withstand harsh site conditions over many decades of use. This diverse need for highly durable anti-corrosion and wear-resistant coatings across proliferating downstream sectors significantly drives the demand for trivalent chromium finishing market. As developmental activities continue gather global momentum, it will positively impact the market scope for these superior chromium surface treatment solutions over the coming years.

Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market Opportunities:

• Emerging applications in Three Dimensional (3D) printing: Emerging applications of 3D printing technology have the potential to revolutionize the trivalent chromium finishing market and drive significant future growth. 3D printing allows for much more complex and customized part designs that were previously not possible through traditional manufacturing methods. This increased flexibility enables novel product designs that can better meet customer needs in industries like aerospace, medical devices, and automotive. As part designers continue to leverage 3D printing to create more intricate geometries, there will be growing demand for finishing processes that can uniformly coat these complex shapes. The fine feature resolution of trivalent chromium plating makes it well-suited to provide corrosion and wear resistance on 3D printed parts without compromising intricate design details. They are already seeing early adoption of 3D printing combined with trivalent chromium finishing in certain industries. For example, in the medical device field companies are using 3D printed implant designs that integrate porosity and other optimized features to promote osseo integration. However, these porous structures need protective coatings to prevent degradation within the body. For instance, according to the National Institutes of Health, trivalent chromium plating is being applied to 3D printed implants and demonstrating success in pre-clinical testing.
• Growth in industrial manufacturing in developing nations: The rise of industrial manufacturing in developing nations presents a major opportunity for growth in the trivalent chromium finishing market. As countries like India, China, Vietnam, and others steadily industrialize and their manufacturing capabilities expand, the need for protective and decorative surface finishing solutions will rise substantially. Trivalent chromium processes are widely used in metal finishing applications to provide corrosion resistance, lubricity, and aesthetically pleasing appearances on metal components. With more manufacturing happening in developing regions, the demand for applying such functional and aesthetic coatings to metal parts being mass produced will naturally increase. Particularly in automotive, construction, and other industrial equipment manufacturing sectors that are flourishing in these economies, trivalent chromium coatings play a crucial role in protecting components and extending their usable lifetimes.

Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market Trends:

• Introduction of water-based trivalent chromium plating solutions: The trivalent chromium finishing market is witnessing a shift towards more environment friendly and sustainable water-based plating solutions. Traditional trivalent chromium plating processes have used toxic solvents, such as Stoddard solvent, that are harmful for both human health and the environment. However, newer water-based trivalent chromium plating solutions are now being widely adopted as they do not use any regulated toxic solvents. These solutions only use water as the base solvent, along with other non-hazardous chemicals. The transition towards water-based technologies is providing opportunities for trivalent chromium finishers to access more manufacturing sectors that have stringent environmental regulations. For instance, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the use of water-based plating solutions released 89% less volatile organic compound emissions as compared to conventional solvent-based plating in 2020.
• Adoption of renewable energy sources in plating processes: The adoption of renewable energy sources in plating processes is having a significant influence on the trivalent chromium finishing market. With growing environmental awareness and stringent regulations around the world to reduce carbon emissions, many companies in industries that utilize electroplating, like automotive, aerospace, electronics, etc., are actively seeking more sustainable alternatives. Renewable energy systems allow electroplating facilities to transition away from fossil fuel based power sources. Solar, wind, and other renewable installations within factory premises help electroplaters curb their carbon footprint and energy costs in the long run. This makes processes that deploy trivalent chromium chemistry more viable for end users trying to lower their environmental impact. Several metal finishing vendors have started powering their trivalent chromium plating lines fully or partially through solar panels and wind turbines installed onsite. For example, as per Company Sustainability Report 2021, a leading American automotive component manufacturer implemented a 2MW solar carport system to supply about 30% of the electricity needed for their trivalent chromium plating division in Michigan.

Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market Restraints:

• Availability of substitutes: The availability of substitutes is posing a major challenge for the growth of the trivalent chromium finishing market. There are several alternative surface finishing technologies that are now available that can substitute trivalent chromium coatings for certain applications. This gives customers alternative options to choose from other than trivalent chromium. Some of the major substitutes that are gaining popularity include zinc flake coatings, zinc-nickel alloy coatings, manganese phosphate coatings, and rare earth pretreatment coatings. These alternative coating technologies offer advantages like comparable corrosion resistance, ease of application, less environmental impact, and in some cases, are more cost-effective than trivalent chromium coatings. The availability of such suitable substitutes is making customers, especially from industries like automotive and aircraft where aesthetics are important, reconsider their finishing needs and consider alternative options. Some customers who want to replace existing trivalent chromium systems are evaluating the feasibility of retrofitting substitute coating lines in their factories. For instance, according to UN Environment Programme data from 2020, the aerospace industry has been researching rare earth pretreatment coatings that can be used as an alternative surface for trivalent chromium coatings in certain applications.
• Strict environmental norms: Strict environmental norms are significantly restraining the growth of trivalent chromium finishing market. Trivalent chromium, or chromium III, is used in various industries like metal finishing, metal treatment and wood treatment. However, it is considered toxic in hexavalent or chromium VI form, which poses serious health hazards. Stringent environmental regulations across major countries are pushing industries to reduce or eliminate the use of trivalent chromium. Many developed nations have also banned the use of chromium in wood treatment and preserved lumber due to toxicity concerns if released into the environment. The stringent norms have raised production costs and compliance burden for companies involved in metal finishing, plating, and wood treatment using trivalent chromium. Many small operators have shut down shops due to high costs, while large firms are investing heavily in waste treatment to meet discharge standards. Overall, sustainability priorities and rigorous environmental rules around the world have created major challenges for further growth of trivalent chromium finishing market. For instance, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified chromium compounds as hazardous air pollutants, which mandates industries using chromium to cut down emissions and install pollution control equipment.
• Counterbalance- Although trivalent chromium is less dangerous than hexavalent chromium, it still poses health and safety concerns. Any new research showing that trivalent chromium has greater health risks than previously thought may reduce its use.

Recent Developments:

• In May 2022, Atotech and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. entered into a business partnership. Under this agreement, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories will incorporate Atotech's Uniplate equipment in its newly established PCB production facility in Idaho, U.S. Atotech is a leading specialty chemicals technology company and a market leader in advanced electroplating, while Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories  is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of digital products and systems that protect, control, and automate electric power systems.
• In March 2022, MacDermid, Inc. successfully finalized the purchase of Alent PLC, a branch of Platform Specialty Products. This acquisition led to the creation of a new division, Performance Solutions, which merged the existing operations of MacDermid, Inc. with the newly acquired Alent businesses. This amalgamation was focused on providing customers around the globe with advanced innovation and service offerings at every stage of the supply chain. MacDermid, Inc. is a specialty chemical company that provides innovative solutions for a wide range of industries. The company is a part of MacDermid Performance Solutions, which is a global leader in specialty chemicals and technical services.

Figure 2. Global Trivalent Chromium Finishing Market Share (%), by Application, 2024

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Key companies:

• Kakihara Industries Co., Ltd.;
• Ronatec C2C, Inc.,
• MacDermid, Inc.;
• Atotech;
• Sarrel Group;
• Chem Processing, Inc.

Definition: Trivalent chromium finishing is a surface finishing process that uses chromium sulfate or chromium chloride as its main ingredient, instead of chromium trioxide used in hexavalent chromium plating. It is an alternative to hexavalent chromium in certain applications and decorative plating. The trivalent chromium plating process offers advantages such as lower toxicity, reduced hazardous waste, and improved corrosion resistance. It requires less energy, can withstand current interruptions, and provides scratch and corrosion resistance.