Editing Chrome plating (section)

==Automotive use==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2021}}
Most bright decorative items affixed to cars are referred to as "chrome", meaning steel that has undergone several plating processes to protect it from weathering and moisture but the term passed on to cover any similar-looking shiny decorative auto parts, including silver plastic trim pieces in casual terminology. Triple plating is the most expensive and durable process, which involves plating the steel first with [[copper]] and then [[nickel]] before the chromium plating is applied.

Prior to the application of chrome in the 1920s, [[nickel electroplating]] was used. In the short production run prior to the US entry into [[World War II]], the government banned plating to save chromium and automobile manufacturers painted the decorative pieces in a complementary color. In the last years of the [[Korean War]], the US contemplated banning chrome in favor of several cheaper processes (such as plating with zinc and then coating with shiny plastic).

In 2007, a [[Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive]] (RoHS) was issued banning several toxic substances for use in the automotive industry in Europe, including [[hexavalent chromium]], which is used in chrome plating. However, chrome plating is metal and contains no hexavalent chromium after it is rinsed, so chrome plating is not banned.<ref name="Auto">{{cite web |title=Automotive Chrome Plating |url=https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/how-chrome-plating-is-done |website=AutoTrader |accessdate=2024-06-13}}</ref>