All metallic and non-metallic coatings applied by electrolytic or electroless methods to a foreign substrate exhibit a degree of stress that may be compressive or tensile in nature. The degree of stress within these coatings may be small or great. In applications where the stress levels are high, it is common for such coatings to crack, blister and peel away from the substrate material. Thus, protection of the basis material is lost and the rate of basis metal corrosion is accelerated. High stress levels in electroformed deposits can even cause electroforms to warp.

Internal stress as a force within metallic coatings results from the inclusion of materials foreign to the pure element that is being deposited. The foreign matter becomes entrapped in the matrix and disrupts the orderly building of the pure element atoms into their natural lattice structure. As the natural lattice formation is altered, the internal deposit stress increases. This phenomenon has been recognized since the mid-1800s. A given basis material will undergo distortion when a coating of another material is applied to it. The challenge for the plating industry has been two-fold: to minimize coating stress levels and to accurately measure coating stress values.