Eclipse Black Chrome is the darkest black trivalent chrome plating currently available on the market. Pioneered in North America by Master Finish, this highly durable, environmentally friendly, lustrous coating is designed for both interior and exterior decorative automotive applications where a premium, dark finish is required.
Performance-wise, Eclipse Black Chrome offers similar superior corrosion, UV, chemical stability, and abrasion resistance properties nearly identical to traditional bright chrome, but with significantly darker color and deeper lustre.
Key Benefits and Performance Metrics
- Extreme Durability: Highly resistant to harsh, corrosive environments, including direct attack from calcium chloride-containing road salts.
- UV Stability: Unlike dark automotive paints, the finish remains stable and does not degrade or fade under prolonged UV light exposure.
- Cost Efficiency: Because of its long-term stability, it requires fewer expensive secondary treatments like multiple layer paints or UV stabilizers.
- Easy Color Matching: The finish maintains its exact shade over time, eliminating the headache of long-term color degradation.
- Versatility: Fully capable of being plated on both interior and exterior grade surfaces.
Automotive Applications and OEM Integration
Master Finish is actively integrating Eclipse Black Chrome into major automotive supply chains across North America:
| Manufacturer | Current Status & Application |
| FCA (Stellantis) | Master Finish produces this plating to perfectly match FCA’s official color code ECL. |
| Toyota & Honda | Currently researching and developing mastery plaques to integrate into their North American supply chains, matching existing global applications. |
| Ford | Ford uses the eclipse chrome over satin nickel process to make SM1522 |
Environmental Commitment
A major advantage of the Eclipse Black Chrome plating process is its environmental footprint. From start to finish, the process is categorized as environmentally friendly. It fully complies with local environmental standards, strict air treatment requirements, and all associated monitoring timelines, ensuring that premium aesthetics do not come at the cost of environmental health. The process is run without the hexavalent chrome used in traditional chrome plating and plating as a whole has a lower carbon footprint than painted and powder alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Eclipse Black Chrome better than paint?
Yes. Unlike paint, Eclipse Black Chrome holds its finish flawlessly under UV light and is highly tolerant to corrosive elements like calcium chloride salts.
Does Eclipse Black Chrome offer the same protection as bright chrome?
Yes. The performance, corrosion protection, and abrasion resistance of Eclipse Black Chrome are nearly identical to industry-leading bright chrome. In some tests it outperformed it’s bright chrome counterpart.
What color codes does Master Finish’s Black Chrome match?
It is engineered to be an exact match for FCA’s color code ECL. Ford color codes SM1522 and SM911, GM color code 436 Umbral, and many others to come in the near future.