HexClad vs Caraway: One PFAS Claim Settled, One Upheld

HexClad vs Caraway is usually argued on how the pans cook. The sharper difference is in the paperwork. Both brands sold pans as free of PFAS, the “forever chemicals” family. HexClad’s claim ended in a $2.5 million class-action settlement covering PTFE-coated pans sold between February 2022 and March 2024. Caraway’s claim went to the National Advertising Division in 2025 and was found to have a reasonable basis. Today both sell ceramic non-stick pans, with very different care rules.

This comparison covers what each brand’s current coating is, how the two legal outcomes differ and what each one does and does not prove, the care and warranty terms buyers rarely read side by side, and which pan suits which kind of cook.

How this comparison was built: each manufacturer’s product, care and warranty pages, the court filings published on the HexClad settlement website, and the National Advertising Division’s Case #7444 decision. Toxin Free Lab performed no testing of either brand’s cookware and has no access to either coating formulation. Manufacturer ratings are reported as stated, not verified. Read how Toxin Free Lab audits products.

HexClad vs Caraway at a Glance

The table compares HexClad’s current hybrid pans with Caraway’s ceramic non-stick line. Both brands sell other lines too; Caraway also makes stainless steel and enameled cast iron, which this page does not cover. Where a maker does not state a figure on the pages checked, the cell says so rather than filling the gap.

Read the oven row carefully. A 900°F rating is a statement about what the pan survives, not a reason to cook at that heat, and both figures come from the makers. What the table does show is a real difference in how much handling each coating is designed to take.

The Same PFAS Claim, Two Referees, Opposite Outcomes

Both brands made the same kind of promise: no PFAS, nothing toxic. Each promise was tested by a different body, and the outcomes point in opposite directions.

The HexClad case turned on a simple contradiction. The pans in question used a PTFE non-stick coating, and PTFE belongs to the PFAS family, so a PTFE pan cannot honestly be “PFAS free.” Under the settlement, HexClad may not market products containing PTFE or other PFAS as “PFAS free,” “PFOA free” or “non-toxic.” The company denied wrongdoing and settled. The full story, including how to tell which coating a pan has, is in our HexClad audit.

Caraway’s challenge came from the other direction. The Cookware Sustainability Alliance, an industry group whose members include Groupe SEB and Meyer, objected to Caraway’s marketing. NAD found Caraway had a reasonable basis for calling its own cookware “free of PFAS” and “non-toxic.” What it told Caraway to drop or change were the claims about everyone else’s pans, including that most traditional cookware is made with forever chemicals. Our Caraway audit covers the decision in full.

Here is the number that matters if you are buying secondhand. Filings for the HexClad final approval hearing reported 209,712 claims by August 28, 2025, which they described as about 9.22% of the class. Divide one by the other: 209,712 ÷ 0.0922 is roughly 2.27 million class members. That is a lot of PTFE-coated HexClad pans bought over a 26-month window, and many are still in use or being resold. On a used HexClad, the purchase date decides which coating you are getting, not the logo.

One more caution cuts both ways. A settlement and an NAD decision are judgments about advertising, not laboratory findings about safety. The term “non-toxic” has no federal definition for cookware, so neither outcome turns a pan into a certified product. The Method audit shows the same pattern with a cleaning brand.

Care Rules and the Warranty Fine Print

Most comparisons stop at “lifetime warranty versus one year.” The exclusions tell you more. Both warranties are written around one fact about non-stick: coatings wear, and wear is treated as the owner’s problem.

The practical consequence: a lifetime warranty protects you against a pan that arrives warped or delaminates through a manufacturing fault. It does not promise a coating that stays slick for life, and neither brand claims that it does. If Caraway’s one-year term is the sticking point, our Caraway vs Our Place comparison covers a ceramic rival with a three-year warranty on recent purchases.

The care rules follow the same split. Caraway’s care guide asks for low to medium heat, a preheat of no more than 90 seconds, one to two tablespoons of oil rather than aerosol sprays, non-metal utensils and hand washing after the pan has cooled. HexClad’s product page says its pans are dishwasher-safe and metal-utensil-safe, and its warranty still excludes excessive heat and sharp-utensil misuse. If your kitchen runs on high heat, metal spatulas and a dishwasher, Caraway’s rules will feel restrictive, and breaking them is exactly what its warranty excludes.

Which One Fits How You Cook

There is no single winner here. Each brand leads on something you can check, and one popular deciding factor does not hold up.

• HexClad leads on handling tolerance. On the maker’s own ratings, the current TerraBond pans take a higher oven temperature, metal utensils and the dishwasher, and carry a lifetime defects warranty. That suits a cook who sears hard and cleans fast.
• Caraway leads on its claims record. Its PFAS-free and non-toxic claims survived an advertising challenge brought by a cookware-industry group. Caraway launched in 2019 with a ceramic set, so there is no earlier PTFE generation to check for.
• Neither is worth choosing on the word “non-toxic.” It is an unregulated marketing term. Both current lines are sold as ceramic and free of PTFE, so on coating chemistry the new pans are closer than the marketing suggests.

Skip both if your goal is no coating at all. Cast iron, carbon steel and uncoated stainless steel have no non-stick layer to wear out, at the cost of more technique. And if you already own a HexClad pan bought between February 2022 and March 2024, it is a PTFE pan: avoid empty preheating and the broiler, and keep pet birds out of the kitchen when cooking at high heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HexClad or Caraway non-toxic?

“Non-toxic” has no legal definition for cookware. Caraway’s non-toxic and PFAS-free claims were found to have a reasonable basis by the National Advertising Division in 2025. HexClad agreed in a settlement not to use those phrases on products containing PTFE or other PFAS. Its current TerraBond pans are sold as PTFE-free.

Does HexClad still use PTFE?

HexClad’s current product pages describe a TerraBond ceramic non-stick coating free from PTFE and forever chemicals. Pans sold between February 1, 2022 and March 31, 2024 used a PTFE coating, which is what the class action covered. For an older or secondhand pan, the purchase date tells you which coating it has.

Which is oven-safe to a higher temperature?

HexClad states its 12-inch Hybrid Frying Pan is oven-safe up to 900°F. Caraway states its ceramic cookware is oven-safe up to 550°F. Both are manufacturer ratings, not independent measurements, and they describe what the pan withstands rather than a recommended cooking temperature.

Can HexClad or Caraway go in the dishwasher?

HexClad describes its hybrid pans as dishwasher-safe. Caraway recommends hand washing its ceramic non-stick cookware and advises against the dishwasher. Caraway also asks you to let a pan cool fully before rinsing it, to avoid thermal shock to the coating.

Which brand has the better warranty?

HexClad offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturer’s defects; Caraway offers one year. Both exclude damage from excessive heat, sharp utensils and improper cleaning. The longer term mainly protects against manufacturing faults, not a coating that loses its release over time.