Abstract: There is herein disclosed an aqueous plating bath for electroless or catalytic deposition of chromium upon the surface of a substrate capable of accepting such deposition or which has been treated to provide a surface capable of accepting such deposition. The solution is characterized by the presence of chromium as an organic chromium compound such as chromium acetate or the equivalent in relatively high concentration, the presence of nickel as a nickel compound, such as nickel acetate or its equivalent in relatively low concentration only sufficient to render the deposit catalytic, together with the usual reducing and buffering compounds to which may be added a complexing reagent comprising the salts of oxalic acid all of which cooperate to produce a deposit substantially higher in chromium content than has heretofore been possible.