Overview
EN ISO 27874:2008 - "Metallic and other inorganic coatings - Electrodeposited gold and gold alloy coatings for electrical, electronic and engineering purposes - Specification and test methods" is a CEN-endorsed adoption of ISO 27874:2008. The standard specifies requirements and test methods for electrodeposited gold and gold alloy coatings applied to metallic and non‑metallic substrates for electrical, electronic and other engineering applications. It details what information purchasers must supply, product designation, performance requirements and sampling, and includes normative annexes on undercoats, thickness measurement, adhesion and gold content determination.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and exclusions: Applies to electrodeposited gold/gold‑alloy coatings for connectors, contacts and engineering parts; excludes coatings on threaded articles and on non‑fabricated sheet/strip.
- Information to be supplied: Purchaser must specify designation, significant surfaces, basis‑metal condition, surface finish/roughness and allowable defects (e.g., rack marks).
- Performance characteristics and tests: The standard covers composition, appearance, thickness, purity, porosity, hardness, adhesion, wear resistance, solderability, electrical contact resistance and infrared reflectivity.
- Test methods and measurement techniques: References and methods include microscopical, coulometric, X‑ray spectrometric, beta backscatter and profilometric thickness measurements, microhardness testing, porosity and adhesion tests and determination of residual salts and gold content. Annexes A–D provide normative requirements and detailed measurement/adhesion/gold content procedures.
- Safety note: The standard warns that some procedures and substances used in plating can present health, safety and environmental hazards; users must follow applicable regulations and safe practices.
Applications and practical value
- Ensures consistent, verifiable quality of gold-plated contacts, connectors, switches, waveguides, solderable PCB finish areas and other low‑resistance, non‑tarnishing surfaces.
- Helps designers and purchasers specify correct coating thickness profiles, surface finish and critical areas to minimize gold usage while meeting performance.
- Used by electroplaters, OEMs, contract manufacturers, PCB fabricators, connector designers, quality engineers and test laboratories to define acceptance criteria and test protocols for gold coatings.
Related standards and references
EN ISO 27874 cites and integrates measurement and test standards such as ISO 1463, ISO 2064, ISO 2177, ISO 3497, ISO 4516 and others covering thickness measurement, microhardness, adhesion and porosity tests. These referenced standards support reliable verification of coating properties.
Keywords: EN ISO 27874:2008, electrodeposited gold, gold alloy coatings, coating thickness, porosity, adhesion, solderability, electrical contacts, test methods.
