24 Karat Gold Plating
Pure gold. Maximum conductivity, inertness, and unmistakable color.
24 karat plating deposits essentially pure gold — 99.9%+ — onto your part through electrodeposition. The item is immersed in a gold electrolyte, current is applied, and gold ions bond to the prepared surface atom by atom, building a dense, uniform layer at a controlled rate.
Because pure gold does not oxidize, tarnish, or react with most chemicals, 24K plating is the standard where surface behavior matters as much as appearance: electrical contacts that must not corrode, lab components that must stay inert, and medical parts that must remain biocompatible. It is also the deepest, warmest gold color available — nothing alloyed quite matches it.
The trade-off is hardness. Pure gold is soft, so for parts that see friction we engineer around it — with a hard nickel underplate, an appropriate thickness, or by recommending 18K hard gold where wear dominates. That judgment call is part of every quote we prepare.
Properties & Benefits
Electrical conductivity
Gold's low, stable contact resistance is why connectors, pins, and RF components are gold plated. It does not form the oxide films that degrade signal on bare copper or nickel.
Corrosion and tarnish immunity
Pure gold is inert to oxygen, moisture, sulfur compounds, and most acids — the finish you install is the finish you keep.
Biocompatibility
Gold is hypoallergenic and chemically stable against skin and tissue, which is why it appears on medical devices, dental work, and fine jewelry.
Solderability and bondability
Fresh gold surfaces wet solder cleanly and accept wire bonding, keeping downstream assembly predictable.
Common Applications
- Electronics: connectors, contact pins, PCB edge fingers, RF housings, switch contacts
- Medical & pharmaceutical: instrument components, electrodes, dental prosthetics, dispensing hardware
- Research & scientific: lab electrodes, vacuum components, sensor surfaces, optical mounts
- Jewelry & luxury: rings, chains, watch cases, trophies, emblems, custom pieces
Specifications
We plate 24K to specified thicknesses quoted in microinches (µin) or microns, from decorative flash coats to engineering deposits, over a nickel underplate on most base metals. Work to recognized specifications — including MIL-G-45204 and ASTM B488 thickness classes and purity types — is quoted against your drawing or spec sheet.
Our Process for This Service
Every 24K job runs the full lab process: intake and inspection, ultrasonic and chemical cleaning, surface activation, nickel underplating where specified, gold electrodeposition under monitored current density, thickness verification, and final QC before packaging.
See the full six-step process →
Turnaround & Volume
Single items typically complete in days. Production runs are scheduled to your deadline with volume pricing; rush service is available on request.
Pricing
$500 minimum, $100 per square inch. Every quote is confirmed from photos — see pricing details.
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