Definitions
Short answer: ceramic coating and paint-protection terminology is inconsistent across the trade -- the same word can mean very different things in marketing versus professional application. These definitions now live in our site-wide Car Care Glossary, using the meanings we rely on when preparing paintwork, applying coatings and advising on aftercare.
Definitions for the specialist terms that come up in car paint protection, exterior detailing and ceramic coating work. This category now lives in the site-wide glossary alongside every other car-care term we use.
Visit the full Car Care Glossary for the complete A-Z, or jump straight to the entries most relevant to ceramic coating and paint protection:
- Ceramic Coating
- Professional Ceramic Coating
- Retail Ceramic Coating
- Graphene Coating
- Glass Coating
- Diamond Coating
- Hydrophobic Coating
- SiO2 (Silicon Dioxide)
- 9H (Pencil Hardness)
- Clear Coat
- Sacrificial Layer
- Decontamination
- Flash Time / Open Time
- Cure Time
- Beading vs Sheeting
Two related articles in this section cover topics that sit alongside the definitions rather than inside the glossary:
- Car Wax -- how traditional wax compares to a modern ceramic coating.
- Touch-Ins Over Coatings -- what happens when stone-chip repairs meet a ceramic-coated panel.