Copper Plating:

Copper Plating is one of the most common metal finishes. It provides a soft, reddish, pliable surface with excellent electrical conductivity. It is most commonly used as an undercoat, primarily bright nickel, and can be easily buffed to a high sheen. Usually copper is not used as a finial finish due to its low resistance to tarnishing. A an undercoat, the process often includes two steps, a very thin copper strike ( less than 0.0001 inches of thickness) providing excellent coverage followed by a second copper plating solution designed to give greater thickness.

Copper also is an excellent conductor of both heat and electricity, making it popular for many engineering applications.

It can also be plated to heavier thickness and then buffed to remove and cover other defects prior to nickel/chrome plating. For these reasons, copper plating is used for plating die cast parts (aluminum or zinc) for highly cosmetic applications, such as automotive and motorcycle parts.