Colored flatware — matte black, rose gold, gunmetal — has moved from a design trend to a standard category request from hotel groups and restaurant brands. Almost all of it today is made using PVD coating rather than older electroplating methods.
What is PVD coating?
PVD stands for Physical Vapor Deposition. In simple terms, the flatware is placed in a vacuum chamber, and a titanium-based compound is vaporized and bonded directly to the steel surface at an atomic level. This creates a coating that’s part of the metal’s surface rather than a layer sitting on top of it.
Why it outperforms electroplating
Older electroplating methods deposit color through an electrochemical bath, which creates a thinner, more fragile layer. Electroplated finishes commonly show wear, chipping, or fading after a few months of commercial dishwasher use.
PVD-coated flatware, by contrast, is rated for thousands of wash cycles and commercial-grade detergent exposure without visible degradation — which is why we exclusively use PVD for our colored flatware lines.
Ordering considerations
PVD coating adds a production step, so lead times run slightly longer (typically 5–7 extra days) and MOQs are usually a bit higher than uncoated steel. If your project has a hard deadline, it’s worth flagging that early so we can plan the coating batch accordingly.