Plated vs. Clad Materials

A. Hi Rich. In general, and the way I've heard it, a 'clad' item has had a skin of another material mechanically bonded onto it whereas a 'plated' item has had the skin electrochemically deposited. But people use words as they wish, which can lead to confusion.

The practical difference is that a cladding would generally be significantly thicker than a plating. Another difference would be that some materials are easy to plate or easy to plate onto, others are harder. And the same thing with cladding. If you wanted to put a stainless steel 'skin' onto an aluminum part, you would probably use cladding technology; if you wanted a nickel-chrome skin, you would probably electroplate it.

Ted Mooney, P.E.

A. Sorry, Huat, but I can't understand the question. Please post your situation, rather than an abstract question, and we may be able to help you. Thanks!

Ted Mooney, P.E.