By the Cupindy Home & Kitchen Team · Last reviewed September 2026 · 13 min read
The short answer
According to the official settlement notice, a California class action alleged that HexClad cookware marketed as "non-toxic," "PFOA free" and "PFAS free" contained PTFE, a member of the PFAS family. The case was resolved by a settlement reported at $2.5 million, which the court granted final approval to in March 2026. HexClad denied all allegations of wrongdoing and agreed, as part of the resolution, to stop using those phrases on products containing PTFE.
HexClad today describes the non-stick part of its pans as a proprietary ceramic coating called TerraBond™, which it states on its own website is PTFE-free. So the honest answer depends on which version you are holding — and the good news is that a current listing tells you, if you know the three fields to read. That check is below and takes about thirty seconds.
On this page
1. What the settlement record says 2. What HexClad says it uses now 3. The 30-second check before you buy 4. The disclosure test for any brand 5. What we could not verify 6. Should you buy it? Plus three alternatives 7. Frequently asked questionsWritten by: the Cupindy Home & Kitchen Team
Last reviewed: September 2026 — Reviewed for: public settlement record, current manufacturer statements, retail listing language, and published material disclosures.
Editorial note
This guide reports on publicly available documents. We did not test any pan in a laboratory. What we did was read the public settlement record, the manufacturers' own published statements, the live retail listings, and the chemical disclosures cookware brands publish under California law.
Where we could not verify something, we say so rather than filling the gap. Those places are marked.
We have no commercial relationship with any brand named here beyond the affiliate links disclosed below. Corrections and clarifications: [email protected].
Affiliate disclosure: Cupindy is a reader-supported independent research site. Some links in this article are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We do not accept payment for placement, and every product below carries a stated drawback.
See our Affiliate Disclosure for full details.
What the settlement record says
Most articles on this topic mention "a lawsuit" without saying what was in it. Here is what the public record shows, attributed.
The case is reported as Cliburn et al. v. One Source to Market, LLC, Case No. 23STCV28390, filed in November 2023 in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. One Source to Market is the entity that does business as HexClad Cookware.
According to reporting on the case, the complaint alleged that HexClad marketed its cookware as "non-toxic," "metal utensil safe," and free of PFOA and PFAS, while the non-stick component contained polytetrafluoroethylene — PTFE. PTFE is a fluoropolymer within the PFAS family. The plaintiffs' position, as reported, was that a product containing a PFAS cannot accurately be described as PFAS-free.
The matter was resolved by settlement, reported at $2.5 million. Per the official settlement notice, the class covered purchases of eligible products between 1 February 2022 and 31 March 2024, and the claim deadline was 14 November 2025. The court granted final approval on 9 March 2026, and payments to approved claimants followed on a pro rata basis. The claim window is closed, so this is background rather than an open opportunity.
Two points matter more than the figure.
First, HexClad denied the allegations. The settlement administrator's own notice states that the company "has denied any and all allegations of wrongdoing, fault, liability, or damage of any kind." A settlement is not a finding of liability, and a court approving a settlement is not a court ruling against the defendant. Nothing in this article should be read as one.
Second, the resolution included a change in advertising language. As reported, HexClad agreed to stop advertising products as "non-toxic," "PFOA free" or "PFAS free" if they contain PTFE or any chemical in the PFAS family.
That second point is the useful one, because it means the wording on a HexClad listing now carries information. This is a company operating under a defined set of rules about what it may say, which makes its published language more informative than most.
What HexClad says it uses now
HexClad pans are a hybrid design: a magnetic stainless steel base, an aluminium core, a stainless steel cooking surface, and a laser-etched hexagonal pattern of raised steel peaks with non-stick material in the valleys between them. The steel peaks are what allow metal utensils. The valleys are what release the food.
The valleys are the whole material question. The peaks are stainless steel.
On its current science page, HexClad describes what sits in those valleys as "our high-grade proprietary ceramic nonstick called TerraBond," and states that TerraBond is "PTFE-free and free from forever chemicals."
We checked that against the live retail listings in August and September 2026. Both the 12-inch Hybrid frying pan and the 4.5-quart Hybrid deep sauté carry the same sentence in their product descriptions: the surface "combines both stainless-steel and our TerraBond ceramic coating." The product details on the 12-inch list the materials as aluminium, ceramic and stainless steel.
Worth knowing where to look: HexClad's affirmative "PTFE-free" statement appears on the company's own website, not in the retail listing copy. If that statement is what you want to read before buying, go to HexClad's science page for it — the marketplace listing describes the coating by name but does not repeat the chemical claim.
How to confirm what you are actually buying
This is worth doing on any pan, from any brand, and almost nobody does it.
Cookware manufacturers across the industry revise coatings, suppliers and specifications over time. Retail stock does not turn over on the same schedule — units sit in warehouses, in third-party seller inventory, and in clearance and open-box channels for a while afterwards. That is ordinary retail, not a scandal. But it does mean the pan in a given box is described by the listing you bought it from, and it is worth reading that listing carefully.
The 30-second cookware check
1. Find the coating named, not just described. Use Ctrl+F, or Command+F on a Mac, and search the page for the coating name — "TerraBond" for HexClad, "Thermolon" for GreenPan. A listing that names its coating is one you can research. "Non-stick" on its own tells you nothing.
2. Read the "Sold by" line, not just the brand at the top. A page can display a brand store link while a different seller fills the order, and which seller appears can change with your delivery address and over time.
3. Check what the warranty depends on. HexClad's own listing text states that its lifetime warranty covers "HexClad products that are sold by HexClad Cookware." If a different seller is filling your order, that condition is worth confirming before you buy. On a pan in this price bracket it is not a footnote.
4. Check the food-contact layer, not the product name. A listing will happily tell you a pan is "stainless steel" when the stainless is the exterior and something else touches your food. This catches people constantly.
5. If the specification matters to you, ask the seller. Message them and ask which coating the unit ships with. It is a fair question, and the answer — including no answer — tells you what you need.
Most of what you need to know about a pan is already published. Almost nobody reads it.
The disclosure test you can run on any cookware brand
There is a California law that makes material questions answerable, and hardly anyone uses it.
Assembly Bill 1200, the Safer Food Packaging and Cookware Act of 2021, requires cookware manufacturers to disclose intentionally added chemicals drawn from designated lists. There are two parts to it, and most coverage mentions only the first:
The website disclosure. Since 1 January 2023, manufacturers have had to publish the list of listed chemicals intentionally added to the food-contact surface, handles and exterior of their cookware on their own websites.
The label. Since 1 January 2024, cookware sold in California must also carry a statement on the handle or exterior bottom directing you to that online list.
The exemption. Manufacturers with fewer than ten employees fall outside the requirement, so an absent disclosure is not automatically a red flag on a small brand.
Search the brand name plus "AB 1200," or turn the pan over and read the handle. Then read what the company publishes about its own products. Free, takes ten seconds, works on any brand.
Here is what a good one looks like, so you know what you are reading.
GreenPan publishes a full disclosure page. On the cooking surface it states: "The food contact surface of our Thermolon Ceramic Nonstick does not contain any of these chemicals." It then goes beyond what is required and voluntarily lists what is present in the layers beneath the cooking surface and in the handles — aluminium, chromium and chromium compounds, nickel and nickel compounds, iron, manganese and manganese compounds. And it adds a caveat we respect: "The presence of these chemicals does not mean that our cookware, bakeware, or appliances will pose a health risk with normal use."
Made In publishes one broken out by product category. Its disclosure identifies PTFE, FEP and PFA in its non-stick line specifically, and separates that from its stainless clad, ceramic, carbon steel, copper and enamelled cast iron ranges — so you can see which of its own products contain what.
Run the same search for any brand you are considering, including HexClad, and read what you find. A company that publishes a chemical inventory of its own handles is communicating differently from one that publishes nothing — though note that the law requires disclosure only where a listed chemical is present, so a brand with nothing on the list may have nothing to publish.
What we could not verify
Three things, stated openly, because articles claiming certainty they do not have are why this topic is such a mess.
1. We have not lab-tested any pan. Everything here comes from published documents and listings. If any coating differs from what its manufacturer publishes, nothing in this article would detect it.
2. We could not independently verify TerraBond's composition. HexClad describes it as proprietary and has not published a full formulation. That is common in the industry and is not in itself unusual.
3. We have not verified the 900°F oven-safe figure. HexClad states its pans are oven-safe to 900°F, on its own site and on its retail listings. We have not seen the underlying test, so we are not repeating it as established fact. One thing worth flagging, because it is easy to get backwards: that same 900°F figure appeared on HexClad listings before the coating changed. It is a claim about the pan's construction, and it tells you nothing either way about what is in the valleys. One practical point the 900°F headline hides: the deep sauté ships with a tempered glass lid, and HexClad's own listing states that its tempered glass lids are oven-safe only to 400°F, against 900°F for its stainless lids. If you finish dishes in the oven covered, the lid is your ceiling, not the pan.
If you want the underlying chemistry rather than the brand-specific story, our guides on what PFOA-free actually means and choosing non-toxic cookware cover the difference between PFOA, PFAS and PTFE properly.
So should you buy a HexClad?
For some people, yes. We are not going to pretend otherwise because it would make a tidier story.
HexClad does something genuinely unusual: it tolerates metal utensils, which almost no coated pan does, and it goes in the dishwasher. If those two things are why you were considering it, nothing below replaces it.
But there are facts worth having before you spend the money.
Two surfaces, two different questions. One wears out; the other never needs a disclosure.
We have deliberately left star ratings out of the table below. Ratings move, they are not comparable between a pan with a few hundred reviews and one with tens of thousands, and they tell you nothing about materials. What a listing documents is the more useful column, and it is the one nobody prints.
| Pan | Cooking surface | What the listing documents | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad 12" | Bare stainless, tri-ply | 18/10 grade stated; layer it applies to not stated | About two-fifths |
| Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad 10" | Bare 18/10 stainless | 18/10 grade stated; NSF certification stated | About a quarter |
| HexClad Hybrid 12" | Steel peaks + TerraBond valleys | Coating named; PTFE-free claim on brand site only | Highest here |
| GreenPan Treviso 12" | Thermolon ceramic | Four chemicals named as absent; AB 1200 page published | About two-fifths |
Listing language read in September 2026 and subject to change. Relative cost is a comparison between these four pans at the time of checking, not a current price. Check the live listing yourself before buying.
The product links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
If you want the HexClad
HexClad Hybrid — the metal-utensil pan
Buy new, from a current listing, having run the thirty-second check above. The 12-inch Hybrid frying pan is the size most people reach for, and the 4.5-quart Hybrid deep sauté is the more versatile choice if you only buy one.
Drawback, and we checked this one. HexClad's listing wording ties its lifetime warranty to products sold by HexClad Cookware. Checking both listings from a US delivery address in September 2026, both were sold by HexClad's own storefront and shipped by Amazon. That is the answer you want — but it is not permanent. Which seller fills a marketplace listing can change over time, and the seller shown can differ with your delivery address. Read the "Sold by" line on the day you order rather than assuming, and if it does not say HexClad, buy direct from HexClad instead.
If you want no coating at all
Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad 12-inch: the like-for-like size
Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad 12-inch frying pan is a tri-ply pan (stainless steel wrapped around an aluminum core) that matches the HexClad's 12-inch size and ships with a stainless lid. The listing states 18/10 stainless steel, works on induction, and when we checked in September 2026 it was sold and shipped by Amazon.com. There is no coating, so there is nothing to wear through and nothing to look up.
Drawback: the listing names the 18/10 grade but does not say which layer it describes. Because the pan works on induction, its outer layer has to be magnetic, and 18/10 stainless usually is not, so the figure most likely refers to the cooking surface. The listing does not confirm that, and it is the same trap that catches people across cookware: the metal named in the description is not always the metal touching your dinner. Our guide to stainless steel grades in cookware explains which number to look for. Like any bare stainless pan it is not non-stick, and the listing gives a 500°F oven limit.
Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad 10-inch — the best-documented pan here
Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad 10-inch frying pan — the value answer, and quietly the best-documented. The listing states 18/10 stainless steel outright, and describes the pan as NSF-certified, meaning an independent body tested it against a published food-equipment standard. It is the only product in this guide whose listing states a third-party certification of that kind.
Drawback: it is a 10-inch pan against HexClad's 12-inch, so not a like-for-like swap. It is not non-stick, and eggs will stick until you learn to preheat properly — a real skill, not an insult, and our guide on why stainless steel pans stick is the fix. It also has a 500°F oven ceiling.
If you want actual non-stick performance
GreenPan Treviso 12-inch: the transparent one
GreenPan Treviso 12-inch frying pan pairs a stainless steel body with GreenPan's Thermolon ceramic coating, and GreenPan publishes the AB 1200 disclosure described above. The listing states: "GreenPan's Thermolon healthy ceramic nonstick coating is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium." That names four chemicals, which is more useful to read than a vague reassurance. Like the HexClad it works on induction, and when we checked in September 2026 it was sold and shipped by Amazon.com.
Drawback, and it is significant: ceramic non-stick loses its release over time. That is a property of the coating type, not of this brand, and careful handling slows it without stopping it. Treat it as a consumable you will eventually replace, not a lifetime pan. The listing also calls the coating metal utensil safe; with HexClad that claim rests on raised steel peaks, while here it rests on the coating itself, which is the part that wears. Two smaller points: the glass lid is oven-safe only to 425°F, and the listing title says "clad" while the description says "encapsulated base," which are different constructions. If the wear trade is unacceptable, buy uncoated. Our guide to ceramic cookware covers how to get the most life out of one.
One pan we deliberately left out
Carbon steel gets recommended constantly in articles like this one, and we were going to recommend it too. We left it out for one reason: it arrives unseasoned, food sticks badly for the first few weeks, and it needs drying and oiling after every wash. That is a genuinely excellent surface for someone willing to learn it, and a poor recommendation for someone switching away from a dishwasher-safe hybrid pan — which is most people reading this page. We would rather say that than send you to something that ends up at the back of a cupboard. Our carbon steel versus cast iron comparison is the honest introduction if you are curious.
Frequently asked questions
Does HexClad contain PTFE?
HexClad states on its own website that its current TerraBond coating is PTFE-free. A class action alleged that cookware sold between February 2022 and March 2024 contained PTFE; HexClad denied the allegations and the matter was resolved by settlement without any admission of liability. For a pan bought new from a current listing, HexClad's published position is that it is PTFE-free.
Is HexClad PFAS-free?
HexClad describes TerraBond as "free from forever chemicals" on its website. As part of the settlement it agreed not to use "PFAS free" language on any product containing a PFAS-family chemical. We have not independently tested the coating.
Did HexClad lose the lawsuit?
No. The matter was resolved by settlement, with HexClad denying all allegations of wrongdoing, and the court granted final approval to that settlement in March 2026. Approving a settlement is not the same as finding a defendant liable, and no such finding was made. What the resolution did include was a change to advertising language going forward.
Can I still file a claim?
No. The claim deadline was 14 November 2025. The court granted final approval on 9 March 2026 and payments to approved claimants followed. The claim window has closed.
Is TerraBond safe?
HexClad describes TerraBond as a proprietary ceramic coating and states that it is PTFE-free and free from forever chemicals. The full formulation is not published, which is common across the cookware industry. If independent verification is what you want, an uncoated pan removes the question entirely, and the Tramontina above is the only pan in this guide whose listing states a third-party food-equipment certification.
Is HexClad worth the money?
If metal-utensil tolerance and dishwasher safety are what you need, it does something the alternatives do not. If you are buying it primarily on material grounds, the case is narrower: it is the most expensive pan in our comparison, and the two uncoated pans here both state more about their materials on the listing itself.
Was Made In sued?
Yes. In November 2023, buyers filed a proposed class action against Boston Foundry, Inc., the company that does business as Made In Cookware, in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas (Elseroad et al. v. Boston Foundry, Inc., Case No. 1:23-cv-01449). The complaint alleged that Made In's non-stick cookware was marketed as "PFOA free" and "100% non-toxic" even though its coating contains PTFE. In July 2024 the court dismissed the part of the case built on the "PFOA free" wording and let the claims about "safe" and "100% non-toxic" continue. The case never reached a trial or a finding against Made In. According to the federal court docket, the named plaintiffs filed a stipulation of dismissal on 4 April 2025, and the judge signed an order closing the case on 7 April 2025. Made In states on its website that the claims were dismissed with prejudice. The stipulation itself is not publicly posted, and we could not find any published settlement terms. The case concerned Made In's non-stick line, not its stainless clad pans.
When did HexClad change its coating?
HexClad has not published a switch date that we could find. The public record gives only the settlement class period, which covers purchases made between 1 February 2022 and 31 March 2024. That window defines who could file a claim; it is not a changeover date, and we are not treating it as one. If you own an older pan and want to know which coating it has, ask HexClad's customer support with your order date.
Is HexClad dishwasher safe?
Yes, according to HexClad. Its Amazon listing calls the pans "dishwasher-friendly," and its own FAQ says they are dishwasher safe but recommends hand washing, because a dishwasher "may cause your cookware to look dull or black over time."
Does HexClad work on induction?
Yes. The listing says the pans are safe on any home cooktop, including induction, and HexClad's FAQ says the tri-ply construction includes "a layer of magnetic stainless steel."
Can you use metal utensils on HexClad?
HexClad says yes. The listing calls the pans "metal utensil-safe," and HexClad's FAQ says metal spatulas, whisks and spoons are fine but that "sharp utensils could leave a scratch." HexClad describes those scratches as cosmetic. Keep knives out of the pan either way.
Sources reviewed
- Official settlement notice and case documents for Cliburn et al. v. One Source to Market, LLC d/b/a HexClad Cookware, Inc., Case No. 23STCV28390, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, hexcladsettlement.com (class definition, denial of liability, injunctive terms, claim deadline). Readers should note that the administrator's public notice page has not been updated since the final approval hearing and still describes approval as pending. Final approval was granted on 9 March 2026, when the Hon. David S. Cunningham III signed the Order Granting Final Approval, following fairness hearings held on 15 September 2025, 10 February 2026 and 20 February 2026.
- ClassAction.org reporting on the HexClad settlement (reported settlement amount, case number, challenged marketing phrases, agreed advertising restrictions)
- HexClad, "HexClad Science" product page (pan construction, TerraBond description, PTFE-free statement)
- HexClad 12-inch Hybrid Frying Pan and 4.5-quart Hybrid Deep Sauté retail listings, read September 2026 (coating description, warranty wording, stated materials, oven-safe figure, seller of record on the day of checking)
- GreenPan, California AB1200 Disclosure page (Thermolon food-contact statement, substrate and handle chemical list, risk caveat)
- Made In Cookware, California Safer Food Packaging and Cookware Act (AB 1200) Disclosure page (per-category chemical disclosure)
- California Assembly Bill 1200, Safer Food Packaging and Cookware Act of 2021, and California Department of Toxic Substances Control cookware disclosure guidance (website disclosure from 1 January 2023, labelling from 1 January 2024, small-manufacturer exemption)
- Tramontina Signature Tri-Ply Clad and Made In Stainless Clad retail listings, read September 2026 (stated stainless grade, NSF certification, construction)
Freshness note: product formulations, retail listings, seller arrangements and published disclosures change over time. Every statement above was checked in September 2026 and attributed to its source. Before buying, re-run the thirty-second check and the AB 1200 search yourself — both take under a minute and both may return something different from what we found. If you believe anything here is inaccurate, write to [email protected] and we will review and correct it.
