While zinc’s oxidation process is slow when compared with that of iron and steel, the amount of time it takes for the zinc to become completely ineffective depends on the thickness of the zinc coating. As one could expect, the greater the barrier, the greater the protection.

Most electroplated zinc finishes have a coating thickness of approximately one thousandth of an inch, whereas hot dip galvanizing provides a minimum zinc coating of five thousandths of an inch. While some products utilize electroplating to extend service life, this process should only be used for aesthetic purposes. For extending product life, Korns recommends hot dip galvanizing.

Materials suitable for the hot dip galvanizing process are ferrous materials including gray, malleable, ductile irons; cast steel, and cold drawn or hot rolled steel. The hot dip galvanized coating can be applied to all types of fabricated and non-fabricated products such as fitting, castings, hardware, strip products and structural steel assemblies.