Cr₃C₂-NiCr is the coating you reach for when the part is hot. Eighty percent chromium carbide, twenty percent nickel-chrome binder — sprayed by HVOF onto boiler tubes, turbine hardware, and mill rolls that have to take wear and temperature at the same time.

This is the high-temperature workhorse of the cermet family. Where tungsten carbide starts to decarburize around 540°C (1,000°F), Cr₃C₂-NiCr keeps working to 870°C (1,600°F). The carbide phase handles abrasion and erosion; the NiCr binder forms a protective Cr₂O₃ scale that shrugs off the ash, sulfates, and flue-gas chemistry inside a utility boiler. Peer-reviewed CFBC trials show erosion roughly flat from 300 to 800°C and more than three times better than mild steel at 700-800°C. A 1,500-hour platen-superheater run at ~900°C came out with 89 percent less oxidation weight gain than bare tube and no spallation.

We apply it by HVOF. Typical numbers: 800-900 HV, bond past 10,000 psi, under two percent porosity, five to fifteen mils thick. Finish runs 100-150 Ra as-sprayed, down to 2-4 Ra when seals demand it.

Pick WC-Co for cold abrasion on hydraulic rods — it's harder at room temperature. Pick Cr₃C₂-NiCr the minute the service gets hot: boiler tubes, recovery-boiler waterwalls, hot-section turbine parts, caster rolls, ladle slide gates. Send us the part, the temperature, and the environment. We'll quote it.

Technical data

Hardness: 800-900 HV300 typical HVOF 75Cr₃C₂-25(Ni-20Cr); up to ~1000 HV300 with optimized fine-powder HVOF and dense microstructure
Bond strength: >10,000 psi (69 MPa) typical HVOF; peer-reviewed HVOF studies report 42-44 MPa (~6,100-6,400 psi) on as-deposited specimens, with production HVOF builds routinely clearing the 10,000 psi threshold
Max service temp: 1600°F continuous; short excursions to ~1650°F
Max service temp: 870°C continuous; short excursions to ~900°C
As-sprayed porosity: <1% (well-tuned HVOF); 1-2% typical production; 3-4% for plasma-sprayed variants
Typical thickness: 5-15 (125-380 µm); boiler-tube waterwall builds commonly 10-20 mils, limited to ~25 mils max
Surface finish (Ra): 100-150 as-sprayed; 8-16 diamond-ground; 2-4 achievable with lapping when sealing surfaces demand it

Where it earns its keep

Retains hardness and wear resistance to 870°C (1600°F) — where WC-Co begins to decarburize around 540°C (1000°F), Cr₃C₂-NiCr keeps working. This is the defining reason you pick this chemistry: the part is hot and the old tungsten carbide can't take it.
Outstanding high-temperature oxidation and hot-corrosion resistance — the chromium carbide grains generate a protective Cr₂O₃ scale and the NiCr binder is the same family of alloy that bare NiCr claddings rely on for sulfidizing and sulfate-salt environments
Proven in utility-boiler waterwall and superheater service for over three decades — HVOF Cr₃C₂-NiCr is the reference coating for CFBC erosion protection, with peer-reviewed data showing erosion rates 3-5× better than bare mild steel at 700-800°C and essentially flat with temperature
Dense (<1-2%), well-bonded HVOF microstructure resists ash-laden flue gas, steam-side oxidation, and cyclic thermal loading without spallation — 1500-hour platen-superheater trials at ~900°C show no measurable coating loss
Drop-in chemistry for the thermal-spray shop that already runs HVOF tungsten carbide — same guns, same booth, same grinding room; you change the powder and the parameter set and move the part from 500°C duty to 870°C duty

Where it doesn't

Room-temperature hardness of 800-900 HV is real, but it is lower than WC-Co or WC-CoCr (1100-1400 HV). For cold-service abrasion on hydraulic rods, pump plungers, or mill rolls that never see heat, WC-12Co or WC-10Co-4Cr is the better pick — don't buy high-temperature capability you will never use.
Powder cost sits above plain NiCr and above WC-Co — you are paying for the carbide phase and the oxidation performance. Spec Cr₃C₂-NiCr where temperature pays for it; don't default to it on ambient parts.
HVOF parameter control is decisive — gas chemistry, flame stoichiometry, particle dwell, and standoff all move carbide retention, porosity, and bond. A poorly tuned spray can drop density to 3-4% porosity and cost you the oxidation life. This is shop-and-part qualification, not a recipe card.

Sources

Data points on this page draw on the following published references. Nothing here replaces a material-specific review by our process engineers — but it's the working starting point.

Kermetico — Chromium Carbide (Cr₃C₂-NiCr) HVOF / HVAF Coating Properties
“High velocity sprayed chrome carbide coatings mitigate abrasive and erosive wear at temperatures up to 750°C (1380°F); corrosion resistance is provided by the NiCr matrix while wear resistance is provided mainly by the carbide ceramic phase; the protective Cr₂O₃ oxide forms over both phases of Cr₃C₂-NiCr.”
Höganäs Technical Bulletin — Chromium Carbide 20% Nickel Chromium (AMPERIT 584/588)
“AMPERIT 584 (sintered-and-crushed) and AMPERIT 588 (agglomerated-and-sintered) Cr₃C₂-25(Ni 20Cr) powders for HVOF and HVAF; good corrosion and oxidation resistance for parts exposed to elevated temperatures — furnace rolls, boilers in power plants, steam-turbine parts, and valve seats.”
Oerlikon Metco DSMTS-0112.1 — Cr₃C₂ / NiCr Alloy Powder Blend (Diamalloy-family)
“Cr₃C₂-NiCr blend for HVOF and APS; high microhardness and wear resistance at elevated temperatures; recommended for boiler-tube, furnace-roll, and high-temperature valve-seat service; operating range extends to the NiCr binder's oxidation limit.”
J. Thermal Spray Tech. — High-Temperature Erosion of HVOF Cr₃C₂-NiCr vs. Mild Steel for Boiler Tubes
“HVOF-sprayed Cr₃C₂-NiCr coating erosion rate was not influenced by temperature in the range of 300-800°C, and erosion resistance was more than three times higher than mild steel at 700-800°C in simulated CFBC service.”
Surface & Coatings Tech. — Hot-Corrosion Behavior of NiCr and Cr₃C₂-NiCr HVOF Coatings on T91 Boiler Steel at 750°C
“80Ni-20Cr and 75Cr₃C₂-25(Ni-20Cr) coatings deposited on T91 boiler-tube steel by HVOF; coatings had porosity <2% and hardness 800-900 HV; Cr₃C₂-NiCr provided superior hot-corrosion resistance versus bare T91 in molten-salt environment.”
J. Thermal Spray Tech. — HVOF Cr₃C₂-NiCr on SAE-347H Boiler Steel, 1500 h Platen-Superheater Trial
“HVOF-sprayed 75Cr₃C₂-25NiCr on 347H boiler tube exposed 1500 hours cyclic in the platen-superheater zone of an operating coal-fired boiler at ~900°C; coated steel showed ~89% reduction in oxidation weight gain versus bare and no spallation.”
Coatings (MDPI) — Review of Physical and Mechanical Properties of Cr₃C₂-NiCr Composite Coatings by HVOF
“Cr₃C₂-NiCr HVOF coatings demonstrate superior resistance to erosion, corrosion, and wear at elevated temperatures up to 800-900°C; HVOF yields dense, well-adhered coatings significantly extending service life of critical high-temperature components.”
A&A Thermal Spray — HVOF Chromium Carbide Coating
“HVOF chromium carbide coatings are dense (less than 0.5 vol% porosity), well-bonded (tensile bond >12,000 psi / 83 MPa), applied up to ~25 mils thick; provide oxidation and corrosion resistance up to 1,600°F; standard chemistry is Cr₃C₂ with NiCr binder.”
J. Thermal Spray Tech. — Microstructural Examination of HVOF Chromium Carbide for High-Temperature Applications
“HVOF-deposited Cr₃C₂-NiCr exhibits retained carbide phase fraction, fine carbide dispersion, and <1% porosity when process parameters are controlled; oxidation and erosion behavior outperforms plasma-sprayed equivalents in high-temperature gas-turbine and boiler service.”

Material data on this page is provided as a general reference and can vary by lot, substrate, and application. Contact HTS to confirm the right material and specification for your specific part.

Chromium Carbide 80/20

Technical data

Where it earns its keep

Where it doesn't

Typical applications

Wear modes addressed

Industries

Substrates

Sources

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