The article elaborates upon the optimality of electroplating and surfactant coupled electroplating based chromium oxide barriers on the process and product characterization variables of Pd electroless plating during dense Pd composite membranes fabrication. Porous stainless steel discs with 100 nm pore size were deployed to fabricate Pd composite membranes on chromium oxide diffusion barriers prepared with electroplating (7.8 and 20 mu m thickness) and surfactant assisted electroplating (7.1 and 12.5 mu m thickness). These diffusion barrier films were obtained by subsequent oxidation of chrome plated films at 700 degrees C. Eventually, palladium films were achieved using rate enhanced Pd electroless plating associated with coupled surfactant and sonication under dropwise addition mode of reducing agent. The surfactant inclusion during chrome plating enabled higher Pd metal film thickness and plating rates but could not provide better pore densification characteristics of dense Pd-chromia-PSS membranes.