Why choose Cerakote®

Cerakote is the world's leading manufacturer of thin-film ceramic coatings and technology. Our industry leading coatings are used in industries ranging from automotive to aerospace and from consumer to defense.

Cerakote continues to grow in popularity every single year, especially in the outdoor field when it relates to durability. But what is it? And why is it so popular?
Cerakote is a special coating that is applied onto materials that helps to protect it and increase its durability. This ceramic based finish is usually applied to things like metal, plastic, polymers and wood, and helps to increase the material's corrosion resistance, wear resistance, strength, and overall hardness. 
Cerakote has a few different Series in their arsenal.

  • C-series
  • H-Series
  • E-Series
  • V-series
  • Clear coats
  • Specialty Coatings

Application

The main reasons to treat objects/Items with Cerakote®

  • Protection vs the elements of nature
  • High Heat protection up to 1000°C
  • Corrosion/Rust
  • Chemicals
  • Wear and tear


Cerakote® can be applied to

  • Guns, Knifes, Rifles, Butt stocks, grips
  • Exhausts, Turbo's, Engines, chassis, inner engine parts like pistons, drive shafts,
  • Wheels, chain sprockets, brake calipers, reservoirs,
  • Camera's, diving equipment, watches, sun glasses etc...
  • Radiators, aviation parts, parts used for space crafts
  • Etc etc...the list goes on.

Adhesion

This is one area that can be incredibly simple or complex, depending on how much digging you want to do into the various testing methods. You can, for instance, look up what an ASTM D3359 rating of 5B means, which Cerakote earns proudly, or you can see that a 180 degree bend over a quarter-inch mandrel didn't involve the coating coming loose or flaking off. Ball bearing impact tests are also done to apply 160 inch-pounds of impact force without cracking, or any sign that the coating is coming loose at all.

Wear Resistance

Wear cycles are applied with a buffing wheel coated with abrasive material. Due to the lower coefficient of friction and the ceramic-polymer makeup of the coating, it's been determined that Cerakote finishes can hold up well to over 5,000 wear cycles for every mil of thickness. The ELITE series are even stronger. Think about how many bullets it takes on a slide before you start to see metal under the stock finish. Nuff said? Moving on.

Corrosion/Rust Resistance

Cerakote finishes are tested with a salt solution. There are generally two ways to perform this test. Either the part is hung and put under a constant spray of saltwater, which most coatings will tolerate on the order of thousands of hours, or they are dropped into a vat of the salt solution and left to soak. In this kind of full immersion test, the coating will hold up against rust for many many hours. Try that with any other coating, the difference in the results is obvious.

Hardness

One scientific test, the ASTM D3363, rates Cerakote coatings with a pencil hardness of 9H. It also rates them at a scratch resistance of 6H. While you wouldn't want to run a nail across it under extreme force, these are actually some of the best test results you will see, on any coating.