RoHS Compliance
The following treatments are RoHS compliant:
- Sulphuric anodising, except when dichromate sealed
- Hard anodising, except when dichromate sealed
- Surtec 650V
- Iridite NCP
- Zinc plating, without passivation or with our trivalent passivate (clear passivate)
- Zinc nickel plating, without passivation or with our trivalent passivate
- Stainless steel passivation and stainless steel pickling
- Titanium anodising and titanium pickling
- Some paint schemes - contact us for more details
The following treatments are not RoHS compliant or may not be RoHS compliant:
- Dichromate sealed sulphuric anodising
- Dichromate sealed hard anodising
- Chromic anodising
- Alocrom 1200 and Bonderite M-CR 1001 AERO (Alodine 1001)
- Zinc plating, with our hexavalent passivate (colour passivate)
- Some paint schemes - contact us for more details
REACH Compliance
At Metal Finishings Ltd, we are committed to meeting the highest regulatory standards in the aerospace, military, and defence sectors. As the UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals) framework evolves, we continue to maintain full compliance to ensure the safety and sustainability of our processes.
SVHCs
SVHCs that are used in our production process are limited to chromium (VI) compounds, which we have sought to list below. As chemists will understand chromic acid, chromates and dichromates are in equilibrium with each other, so it is impossible to say with certainty what form they take when incorporated into the coating:
- chromic acid (231-801-5, 236-881-5) and chromium trioxide (231-889-5)
- sodium dichromate (EC 234-190-3)
- pentazinc chromate octahydroxide (EC 256-418-0)
- strontium chromate (EC 232-142-6)
The following treatments use SVHCs in the production process:
- Chromic anodising - in anodising electrolyte
- Dichromate sealed sulphuric/hard anodising - in the sealing solution
- Alocrom 1200 and Alocrom 1000 - in the conversion coating solution
- Stainless steel passivation - in some passivation and post-passivation solutions, SVHC-free alternatives also available
- Zinc plating - with hexavalent/colour passivate - SVHC-free alternatives also available
- Some paint systems, chromate containing
The following treatments do not use SVHCs in the production process (or it is optional):
- Sulphuric/hard anodising - except when dichromate sealed
- Surtec 650V
- Iridite NCP
- Zinc-nickel plating
- Zinc plating - except with hexavalent/colour passivate
- Some paint systems, free from chromates
- Titanium anodising
- Stainless steel passivation, nitric only
- Stainless steel pickling
- Dry film lubricants
The following treatments contain or may contain SVHCs in the final coating:
- Chromic anodising (possibly above threshold)
- Dichromate sealed sulphuric/hard anodising (likely above threshold)
- Alocrom 1200 and Alocrom 1000 (likely above threshold)
- Chromate-based paint systems (likely above threshold)
- Zinc plating with hexavalent/colour passivate (possibly above threshold)
While stainless steel passivation may use SVHCs in the production process, with proper rinsing it is unlikely to be in the end product.
When the base material is porous (such as some castings) or there is another entrapment risk, there is a possibility that chromium (VI) compounds may be present in the article beyond the coating from the production process. This may significantly increase the amount of SVHCs in the article.
However, as the mass of the article is usually much greater than the part as a whole, it is likely that this alone would bring the percentage below the 0.1% threshold for the majority of parts that we process. If customers can supply Metal Finishings Ltd with the total mass of the part and its surface area, we can estimate the maximum mass of SVHC contributed by our processing.
It is our view that no non-exposure argument can be made for SVHCs in our coatings because of the mobility of the chromates in the presence of moisture.
Alternative Treatments
For all of our treatments, there are alternatives available that do not use SVHCs in the production process and that do not leave SVHCs in the article after processing. These are suitable for a large number of applications and there are very few applications where these are unsuitable for technical reasons.
UK REACH Authorisations
Updated: September 2024
With recent changes to UK REACH regulations, Metal Finishings Ltd has secured the necessary authorisations to continue providing our specialised metal treatment services. Working with our carefully selected suppliers we will be working under a range of authorisations all of which have received a 12 year review period. These authorisations apply exclusively to customers in the aerospace, military, and defence sectors, where safety-critical standards are a priority. Our current authorisations are:
| HSE Reference | Substance(s) | Use applied for | Authorisation Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFS028-01 | Chromium Trioxide(CT) EC Number:215-607-8 CAS Number:133-82-0 | Anodising using chromium trioxide in aerospace and defence industry and its supply chains. | https://consultations.hse.gov.uk/crd-reach/reach-afa-028-01/ |
| AFA041-01 | Chromium Trioxide(CT) EC Number:215-607-8 CAS Number:133-82-0 | Passivation of (non-Al) metallic coatings using chromium trioxide or sodium dichromate or potassium dichromate in aerospace and defence industry and its supply chains. | https://consultations.hse.gov.uk/crd-reach/reach-afa-041-01/ |
| Sodium Dichromate (SD) EC Number:234-190-3 CAS Number: 10588-01-9 | |||
| Potassium Dichromate (PD) EC Number:231-906-6 CAS Number:7778-50-9 | |||
| AFA032-01 | Chromium Trioxide(CT) EC Number:215-607-8 CAS Number:133-82-0 | Chemical conversion coating using chromium trioxide, sodium dichromate, potassium dichromate, and/or dichromium tris(chromate) in aerospace and defence industry and its supply chains. | https://consultations.hse.gov.uk/crd-reach/reach-afa-032-01/ |
| Sodium Dichromate (SD) EC Number:234-190-3 CAS Number: 10588-01-9 | |||
| Potassium Dichromate (PD) EC Number:231-906-6 CAS Number:7778-50-9 | |||
| Dichromium(tris) Chromate (DtC) EC Number:246-356-2 CAS Number:24613 | |||
| AFA039-01 | Chromium Trioxide(CT) EC Number:215-607-8 CAS Number:133-82-0 | Anodise sealing using chromium trioxide and/or sodium chromate in aerospace and defence industry and its supply chains. | https://consultations.hse.gov.uk/crd-reach/reach-afa-039-01/ |
| Sodium Chromate (SC) EC Number:231-889-5 CAS Number:7775-11-3 | |||
| AFA035-01 | Chromium Trioxide(CT) EC Number:215-607-8 CAS Number:133-82-0 | Pre-treatments: Deoxidising, pickling, etching and/or desmutting using chromium trioxide, in aerospace and defence industry and its supply chains. |
Customers Outside the Aerospace & Defence Sectors
If your industry does not fall under these authorisations, we encourage you to get in touch with us to explore alternative solutions that comply with current UK REACH regulations.
If you have any questions about how these UK REACH updates may impact your projects or need further details on the treatments we offer, our team is ready to assist. Contact us today for expert advice and guidance on compliant, high-quality metal finishing solutions.
Environmental
At Metal Finishings Ltd, we take our environmental responsibilities seriously. By complying with UK REACH regulations, we ensure that our processes not only protect workers and end-users but also contribute to a reduced environmental impact. We continuously monitor updates to chemical regulations to ensure we remain at the forefront of compliance, particularly in sensitive industries such as aerospace and defence.