Advantages of Powder Coating vs. Liquid Coating

Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form.

The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a “skin.” The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint.

There are several advantages of powder coating over conventional liquid coatings:

  • Powder coatings emit zero or near zero volatile organic compounds (VOC).
  • Powder coatings can produce much thicker coatings than conventional liquid coatings without running or sagging.
  • Powder coating overspray can be recycled and thus it is possible to achieve nearly 100% use of the coating.
  • Powder coating production lines produce less hazardous waste than conventional liquid coatings.
  • Powder coated items generally have fewer appearance differences between horizontally coated surfaces and vertically coated surfaces than liquid coated items.
  • A wide range of specialty effects is easily accomplished which would be impossible to achieve with other coating processes.