<When...>

Hot dip galvanizing is mainly used in corrosive environments, like corrosion category 2 to 5 acording to

EN ISO 12944-2, but can also be used in less severe environments, for example indoors.

Below advises about which types of surface coatings that can be used in different environments are given.

	Hot dip galvanizing	Electroplating	Zinc spraying
Coating thickness	70 - 215 µm	3- 12 µm ¹)	40 - 200 µm
Standard	EN ISO1461	ISO 2081	2972
Adherence	Alloying with the steel	Electro-cemical	Mechanical
Application	Dipping in melt zinc	Electrolytic deposit	Spaying of molten zinc droplets
Appearance	Shiny and/or gray	Shiny	Light gray
Finish	Good	Very good	Good
Spread in thickness	Low	Medium ²	Higher ³
Coating inside cavities	Yes	No	No
Outdoor protection ⁴⁾	Very good (25 - 75 years)	Bad (1 - 6 years)	Good (10 - 50 years)
Quality control	Easy	Easy ⁵	Easy ⁵
Upper size limitation	Around 25 m in Norden	Around 6 m in Norden	No limits
Lower size limitation	3 mm wood screw	Approximately 2 mm	Heavy enough for the spray pressure.
Use of coated product	Utedoor when long lifte time is required	Indoor or outdoor during shorter periods	Utdoor
Life time cost	Very low	High	Low
Cathodic protection	Very good	Limitid	Good
Deformation during application	May occur ⁶	No	No

1) Thicker coatings may be created, but those will be more expensive to create than corresponding hot dip galvanized coatings.
2) Depends on electrode positions.
3) Operator dependent.
4) Local variations may occur.
5) More mesurements are required.
6) Internal stresses in the steel may be relaxed in the galvanizing bath.