🧠 Anti-Galling Explained: Why Copper is the Industry’s Armour for Threaded Connections

In the world of threaded connections—especially in Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG)—the term galling may seem technical, but its consequences are anything but abstract.

Galling is a severe form of adhesive wear that occurs when metal surfaces slide against each other under high pressure. In threaded components, this can lead to:

• Seized or locked threads
• Damaged sealing faces
• Costly rework or scrapping of parts
• Risk of well failure or downtime

That is why anti-galling protection is essential.

⚠ What Causes Galling in OCTG Threads?

• High torque during makeup/breakout
• Surface roughness or mismatch
• Lack of proper lubrication
• Repeated reuse of threads without protection
• Hard-to-hard metal contact (steel on steel)

Once galling starts, it escalates quickly—damaging both the pin and box threads, compromising sealing integrity, and leading to expensive failures.

🛡 Why Copper is the Ideal Defense Against Galling

Copper plating has long been recognized as the most effective surface treatment to prevent galling in threaded connections.

Here’s why:

✅ 1. Soft Ductile Barrier

Copper acts as a sacrificial layer between the mating threads. Its softness reduces friction and prevents metal-to-metal adhesion, significantly lowering the risk of galling.

✅ 2. Low Friction Coefficient

Copper maintains a consistent low-friction surface, ensuring smooth torque transfer during makeup and reducing wear from repeated assembly cycles.

✅ 3. Excellent Conformability

The copper layer conforms easily to the thread geometry, improving sealing performance even after multiple uses.

✅ 4. Field-Proven and Standardized

Copper Brush Plating is widely accepted and approved by leading OCTG licensors and manufacturers including:

• VAM
• Tenaris
• JFE
• VAGT
• Hunting
  ... and many others.

This industry-wide use is proof of its reliability in both premium and non-premium connections.

🧪 Why Use Brush Plating for Anti-Galling Copper?

Unlike other methods, Brush Plating offers:

• Localized application (no need to plate the whole part)
• Precise thickness control
• No heat distortion
• Faster turnaround
• Onsite or workshop application

At Sterling Impreglon Asia, our proprietary Brush Plating process has helped countless companies protect their OCTG threads, reduce failures, and extend component life.

🎯 Final Thought

Anti-galling protection is not optional—it’s a critical requirement.
And copper, especially applied via Brush Plating, continues to be the industry’s most trusted armor.

If your operations involve threaded connections under high stress, now’s the time to ensure your components are protected—reliably, affordably, and precisely.