Where Our Coatings Are Used
Use Cases
Bolts and High-Strength Fasteners
Class 8.8, 10.9, and 12.9 hex bolts, structural bolts, flanged bolts, socket head cap screws, and the high-tensile fasteners that hold critical assemblies together and need disciplined hydrogen embrittlement control.
Nuts and Threaded Hardware
Hex nuts, lock nuts, flange nuts, weld nuts, cage nuts, threaded inserts, and the threaded hardware where uniform plating thickness directly affects torque-tension performance during assembly.
Washers and Retainers
Flat washers, lock washers, spring washers, Belleville washers, retaining rings, and snap rings produced at the high volumes barrel plating is designed for.
Screws and Drive Hardware
Self-tapping screws, machine screws, set screws, sheet metal screws, security screws, and the trim and assembly screws used across automotive, appliance, and industrial production.
Specialty and Clip Hardware
Push-on retainers, automotive body and trim clips, rivets, push pins, hose clamps, and the small-volume specialty hardware that holds modern assemblies together where a bolt won't fit.
What These Finishes Do
Key Benefits
Hydrogen Embrittlement Control
High-strength steel fasteners can absorb hydrogen during plating, leaving them vulnerable to delayed brittle failure weeks after installation. We provide full in-house hydrogen embrittlement relief baking, performed within the time windows ASTM F1940 and OEM specifications require.
Severe Corrosion Resistance
Zinc-nickel finishes that exceed 720-hour and 1000-hour ASTM B117 salt-spray requirements for under-vehicle and exterior-exposed fasteners, supporting the long warranty periods modern programs are written to.
Consistent Thread Engagement
Tight control over plating thickness, especially in thread roots, so fasteners install with predictable torque, don't gall on mating parts, and don't bind during assembly.
Purpose-Built Rack and Barrel Capacity
Our Marsh Plating Willow Run facility was purpose-built around rack zinc-nickel and rack electroless nickel for fasteners. Across the group, both rack and barrel processing run at the volumes fastener programs require.
IATF 16949 and OEM Compliance
Process control aligned with IATF 16949 and the corrosion, adhesion, and torque-tension specifications major automotive, agricultural, and heavy-duty OEMs publish for their fastener supply chains.
Environmental Compliance
Trivalent chromium passivation and fully hexavalent-chromium-free chemistries that meet RoHS, REACH, and the End-of-Life Vehicle directive across every fastener finish we run.
Protective Coatings for Fasteners
Fasteners are deceptively demanding parts. They have to thread cleanly, hold consistent torque, resist corrosion for the life of the assembly, and do all of it without changing dimensionally enough to bind on installation. They also have to do it in volumes most other industries would consider impossible: millions of identical parts moving through plating in a single shift. The finish on a fastener isn’t an accessory. It’s a specification that shapes whether the entire assembly works.
CMC plates fasteners at scale, including the high-volume rack and barrel work that automotive, agricultural, commercial vehicle, construction, and industrial customers rely on. Our Marsh Plating Willow Run facility is purpose-built around rack zinc-nickel and rack electroless nickel, the two workhorse fastener finishes for severe-duty and precision applications, with full hydrogen embrittlement relief baking available in-house. The Marsh Plating Corporation facility and Finishing Services Inc. add high-volume barrel zinc, zinc-nickel, and zinc-iron capacity for the smaller fasteners and washers that make up the bulk of any assembly. Every chemistry we run is trivalent chromium passivated, fully hexavalent-chromium-free, and aligned with the IATF 16949 process discipline the automotive fastener supply chain operates to.
Across four facilities and 17 processing lines, we have the scale to support OEM and tier supplier programs at the volumes the fastener industry runs, and the engineering depth to walk through finish selection before the first sample goes on a line. Send us a print, a torque-tension spec, or a part description and we’ll match the right process to the substrate, the grade, the assembly environment, and the standard your program runs to.
Available In-House
Hydrogen Embrittlement Relief Baking
High-strength steel fasteners can absorb hydrogen during plating, leaving them susceptible to delayed brittle failure weeks or even months after installation. CMC provides full hydrogen embrittlement relief baking in-house, performed within the time windows that ASTM F1940 and major OEM specifications require, scheduled directly into our plating production flow.
Finishes we most often recommend for fasteners
Looking for a fastener plater?
Send us a part description, a drawing, or your specification. We’re set up for high-volume programs and small specialty runs alike, with rack and barrel processing across four facilities and full hydrogen embrittlement relief baking available in-house.