Everyone in a building comes in contact with door push plates, handrails and the many other hardware pieces that make buildings usable. High traffic, warm and moist, these fixtures are a haven for microbes—unless they're made of AgION^® antimicrobial-coated steel, available exclusively from AK Coatings, Inc., a subsidiary of AK Steel Corporation. Antimicrobial-coated steel inhibits the growth of microbes on these products. It also makes for a fingerprint and stain resistant surface that keeps your product looking better longer than other available products.

With growing consumer awareness of and demand for antimicrobial products, AK Coatings is offering a chance for building fixture and hardware companies to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. In both consumer and commercial construction projects, antimicrobial products offer an added value that is being requested, even specified, by some firms. With immediately recognizable value in applications where cleanliness is of the utmost importance, such as office buildings, hospitals and health facilities, hotels, schools, and daycare centers, antimicrobial-coated steel offers an attractive audience predisposed to its use, and is easily moved into other markets where microbe growth is likely to be an issue.

AgION: The Inside Story
AgION antimicrobial compound is the world's most advanced inorganic antimicrobial. Its active ingredient is silver, which has been used for centuries as an effective antimicrobial. Silver ions are slowly released from the antimicrobial compound to the surface of the treated steel, inhibiting the growth of a broad array of bacteria, molds and fungi.

Of course, AgION antimicrobial-coated steel is not intended to replace good hygiene. Coated products must still be cleaned to ensure the surfaces will be free of destructive microbes. AgION antimicrobial-coated steel provides an added measure of cleanliness.