PlainPatent

CPC technology class · C23

C23F - Non-mechanical Removal OF Metallic Material FROM Surface

Non-mechanical removal of metallic material from surface ; inhibiting corrosion of metallic material or incrustation in general; multi-step processes for surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class c23 and at least one process covered by subclass c21d . 2,985 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

2,985
US patents granted
C23
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
+8%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Non-mechanical Removal OF Metallic Material FROM Surface ranks #316 of 670 CPC technology areas - 2,985 US patents granted since 2015, with filing up 8% over five years.

#316
of 670 CPC technology areas
2,985
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Ecolab Usa
leading assignee (83)
+8%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Ecolab USA Inc. (83 patents)

CPC subclass C23F - NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE ; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASS C23 AND AT LEAST ONE PROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D - covers 2,985 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class C23 (COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTAT). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in C23F is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Ecolab USA Inc. leads with 83 patents, followed by US Synthetic Corporation at 44 grants and Lam Research Corporation at 32.

Filing activity in C23F is up 8% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a relatively steady filing pace. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is C23F innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in C23F, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 8% versus 2015–2019.

100150200250300350 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 136

Who leads C23F?

The 12 most active assignees in NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE ; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASS C23 AND AT LEAST ONE PROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Ecolab Usa is the most active filer in C23F, holding 83 of the 2,985 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025 grant years
View data table
Top patent holders in CPC subclass C23F
Rank Company Patents in C23F
#1 Ecolab USA Inc. 83
#2 US Synthetic Corporation 44
#3 Lam Research Corporation 32
#4 ASM IP Holding B.v. 21
#5 Fluid Energy Group Ltd. 21
#6 Prestone Products Llc 19
#7 Arcelormittal 18
#8 DORF Ketal Chemicals FZE 18
#9 Entegris, Inc. 15
#10 Cabot Microelectronics Corporation 15
#11 Championx USA Inc. 15
#12 Instituto Mexicano Del Petróleo 14
#13 Biomet 3i, Llc 14
#14 UACJ Corporation 13
#15 Dongwoo Fine-chem Co., Ltd. 12
#16 S+s Industries Technology Llc 12
#17 Chemtreat, Inc. 11
#18 Hitachi High-technologies Corporation 10
#19 Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. 10
#20 Masonite Corporation 10

About This Class

CPC subclass C23F belongs to class C23.

2,985 patents were granted in this class between 2015 and 2025.

20 companies actively patent in this space.

Classification System

Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a hierarchical patent classification system used by the USPTO and EPO.

← All Technology Classes Technology Rankings →

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading C23F assignee, placed by how many patents it holds in this class (horizontal) against its company-wide average claims per patent (vertical) - a read on whether the class is led by broad-but-shallow filers or focused deep-claim players.

Top 14 C23F assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in C23F. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 C23F assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in C23F. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 51015202530 020406080100 Patents in C23F Avg claims / patent (company-wide) Ecolab UsaUs SyntheticLam ResearchAsm Ip Holding B VFluid Energy GroupPrestone ProductsArcelormittalDorf Ketal Chemicals…EntegrisCabot MicroelectronicsChampionx UsaInstituto Mexicano de…Biomet 3iUacj
Top 14 C23F assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in C23F. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class C23F?
CPC subclass C23F covers NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE ; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASS C23 AND AT LEAST ONE PROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D . It belongs to CPC class C23 (COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTAT), with 2,985 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in C23F?
2,985 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass C23F between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in C23F?
Ecolab USA Inc. leads C23F with 83 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for C23F collected?
Patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It covers all US granted utility patents and assigns CPC codes based on the technology described in each patent.
What is the difference between CPC class and subclass?
A CPC class (e.g., C23) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like C23F provide finer granularity within that category. PlainPatent organizes data at the subclass level (4-character codes) for the most useful view of technology domains.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.