INOX-SPECTRAL in practice: coloured stainless steel for industrial components
This post shows when coloured stainless steel pays off for industrial parts, how INOX-SPECTRAL differs from coated processes and how the order is handled at INOX COLOR.
At a glance
This page helps you decide when coloured stainless steel is the better choice over lacquered or coated components, how INOX-SPECTRAL differs from other colouring processes and how the order is handled at INOX COLOR. For how the process works in principle, see our article on colouring stainless steel.
When coloured rather than coated stainless steel?
Coloured stainless steel with INOX-SPECTRAL is particularly advantageous when at least one of these points applies:
- The colour must not flake off, for example in food, beverage, pharmaceutical or clean-room technology.
- Full corrosion protection is required, including on the coloured surface.
- The colouring must permanently withstand cleaning, chemicals and abrasion.
- Components, variants or assemblies are to be permanently colour-coded.
- The material and surface properties of the stainless steel are to be retained.
The process is less suitable when opaque RAL colour tones in any colour are required. INOX-SPECTRAL creates defined interference colours, not an opaque lacquer layer.
INOX-SPECTRAL compared with coated processes
| Criterion | inoxSPECTRAL | Paint / lacquer / powder | Chemical blackening |
| Colour is created | in the passive layer | as an applied layer | as a conversion layer |
| Flaking possible | no | yes | limited, abrasion-dependent |
| Corrosion protection | fully retained, strengthened | depends on the layer | depends on the process |
| Material properties | retained | covered over | largely retained |
| Colour range | defined interference colours | almost any, opaque | mainly black |
| Surface finish stays visible | yes, structure shows through | no, covered over | partly |
This makes it clear: anyone who needs colour and full stainless steel properties at the same time is right with INOX-SPECTRAL. Anyone looking for an opaque desired colour regardless of the stainless steel character will rather use lacquer.
Colour coding and marking
A classic industrial use case is durable colour coding. Components, sizes, material variants or assemblies can be distinguished by colour, without stickers, engraving or lacquer that comes loose. This makes assembly, picking, maintenance and quality assurance easier. Because the colour withstands cleaning cycles and chemicals, the coding stays legible over the service life. Small parts can also be marked by colour, type-pure, as bulk material.
Durability in industrial use
The colouring is part of the surface and therefore robust against UV radiation, cleaning and mechanical stress. The colour black is particularly scratch-resistant. As the passive layer is strengthened, corrosion protection is fully retained. Please note that the colouring is dissolved in the area of weld seams depending on the process, and that the tones red and green are intended for indoor applications.
Workpieces, formats and combination
We colour components up to 6,000 x 1,200 x 2,000 mm. Besides sheets, expanded metal, wire mesh, profiles, structural elements and small parts are suitable, which we also process as bulk material. As the colour is an interference effect, it can be deliberately combined with grinding, blasting or mirror polishing, all from a single source.
How your order is handled at INOX COLOR
- Requirement and sample coordination, definition of colour tone and surface
- Pre-treatment and the desired mechanical surface finish
- Colouring with the computer-controlled INOX-SPECTRAL process
- Visual and colour inspection, compared with the approved sample
- Documentation and packaging
We have coloured Made in Germany for 40 years and are certified to ISO 9001.
Frequently asked questions
Is coloured stainless steel suitable for food and pharmaceutical applications?
Yes. Because no coating is applied, nothing can flake off or get into the product. Corrosion protection is retained.
Can any RAL colour be realised?
No. INOX-SPECTRAL creates defined interference colours such as champagne, gold, bronze, steel blue, cobalt blue and black, not an opaque RAL lacquer colour.
How reproducible is the colour?
Via an approved sample and the computer-controlled process, the colour is reproducible. Slight deviations can result from the reflectivity of the base material.
What happens at weld seams?
In the area of the weld seam the colouring is dissolved depending on the process. This should be considered in the design and the sequence of processing.
Can colour and surface be combined?
Yes. As the colour depends on the underlying surface, grinding, blasting or polishing can be combined deliberately with the desired colour tone.
