Bed Caps and Bed Rails Research Guide

Bed Caps and Bed Rails Research Guide Glossary Terms

• ABS Plastic
• Diamond plate
• Mild steel
• Powder coated
• Stainless steel
• Stake pockets

Bed Caps and Bed Rails Research Guide Glossary Definitions

ABS Plastic

ABS is short for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, which is the chemical name for this particular thermoplastic material. Besides being widely used for OEM and aftermarket automotive parts, ABS plastics are also used in pipes and golf club heads. Its rigidity, light weight and shock absorbency make ABS plastic an ideal material for manufacturing. Best of all, it is impervious to rust. An added benefit of ABS plastic is that you have the option of painting it to match or highlight your paintjob.

Diamond plate

Shown here, this popular pattern typically consists of raised treads in the surface of aluminum or steel. Recently, this pattern has extended to thin stainless steel sheet and plastic composite materials in other products. The pattern is popular for truck toolboxes, utility chests and modular garage flooring, along with many other heavy-duty needs. It's the all-around look of "tough."

Mild steel

Mild steel is a steel alloy with lowered requirements for metals typical of stainless alloys. While they are more corrosion-prone than stainless steel tubes, mild steel tubes are typically powder-coated to prevent corrosion or chrome-plated for appearance.

Powder coated

Powder coating has become a popular process for treating metal with a uniform color coat that's chip-, scratch- and corrosion-resistant. The process involves spraying metal with fine dry resin particles that are electro-statically charged so that they stick to the surface. The coated metal is then baked at 400° F, melting the clinging particles into a smooth, durable finish. The overwhelming number of powder coat finishes are done in gloss black.

Stainless steel

This specialized steel alloy provides the strength of steel and outstanding corrosion resistance. Stainless steel generally includes higher nickel and/or chromium in the alloy mixture to eliminate rust worries. Plus, stainless steel can be polished to an incredible shine that rivals or outperforms the look of chrome plating.

Stake pockets

A series of squared, functionally designed holes along both sides of the top of a truck's bed. This allows for a number of utility additions to the truck which mount in these holes, including stake bed style fences, contractor racks and bed rails. Trucks of varying size can have anywhere between zero stake pockets and six stake pockets.