How much does zinc plating cost

A. Reason 1 is that the powder coat part lends itself to calculating the area.
Reason 2 is that the plated parts are not always easy to calculate areas of complex parts, so management figured out that they could make money by using weight. This overcharged some customers and undercharged some, but on average, the plater made money. If he did not, he just raised the price.

? Hi, Reynald. What cost do you charge per Kg for your electrical and electronic components? It would help us determine the practicality and appropriateness of estimating the finishing costs per Kg :-)

Seriously, the idea that plating cost can be determined per kg is probably flawed. But good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi, Ashok

I believe that Zn-Ni alloy is deposited in the same thickness range as plain zinc plating, i.e., from a minimum satisfactory thickness of not much under .0002" to a practical maximum of about .0006". Proper plating cannot be costed on a per kilogram or per square foot basis, but requires a study of such factors as condition of the base steel, necessary cleaning and activation, required thickness of deposit, and chromate post treatment. Generally, unless you already have significant experience in estimating the cost, you are limited to getting several quotes. But it is good that you are considering "design for plating".

For a general feel though, pending correction by a plating shop, I'd say it will be more costly than zinc plating, less costly than nickel plating, and in the same general range as nickel-cobalt or nickel-iron plating.

Regards,

A. Interesting comparison on Zn-Ni and various finishes … the costs can vary very widely, from 2x more than the black oiled phosphate to 10x more than black oiled phosphate..

Just adding a thin plating to any metal is the start of a corrosion protection, it usually needs to be passivated and sealed afterwards. And those additional costs, as you see, can alter the total costs widely.