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Different Appearances
The appearance of hot-dip galvanized steel immediately after galvanizing can be
bright and shiny, spangled, matte gray, or a combination of these. There are a
number of reasons for the difference in appearance, as explored here, but
regardless if the piece is shiny or dull, the appearance has no effect on the corrosion
performance. And in time after exposure to the environment, all galvanized coatings
will take on a uniform matte gray appearance.
Reasons for Different Appearances
Steel Chemistry
The most common reason for galvanized steel to have different appearances is the
chemistry of the steel pieces. There are two elements of steel chemistry which most
strongly influence the final appearance; silicon and phosphorous. Both silicon and
phosphorous promote coating growth, and this thicker coating is responsible for the
differing appearance.
The amount of silicon added during the steel making process to deoxidize the steel
can create differences in appearance of galvanized products. The recommended
silicon composition is either less than 0.04% or between 0.15% and 0.25%. Any
steels not within these ranges are considered reactive steels and are expected to
form zinc coatings that tend to be thicker.
In addition to producing thicker coatings, highly reactive steels tend to have a matte
gray or mottled appearance instead of the typical bright coating. This difference in
appearance is a result of the rapid zinc-iron intermetallic growth that consumes all
of the bright, pure zinc. This growth of the intermetallic layer is generally out of the
galvanizers control, because they usually do not have prior knowledge of the
steels composition. However, this increased coating thickness can be beneficial in
some respects because time to first maintenance is directly proportional to coating
thickness.
In Figure 1, the micrograph on the left shows a regular zinc-iron alloy, while the
micrograph on the right shows an irregular zinc-iron alloy. These clearly show the
microscopic level differences that can occur due to the amount of silicon in the steel
being hot-dip galvanized.

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Figure 1: Regular vs. Irregular Zinc-Iron Alloy Layers

The Sandelin curve, as seen in Figure 2, compares the zinc coating thickness to the
mass percentage of silicon in the steel. The area on the graph labeled I is called
the Sandelin area and the coatings tend to be thick and dull gray as a direct result
of the percentage of silicon present in the base steel. This area is known as the
Sandelin range since Dr. Sandelin, a metallurgist, performed the experimental work
to show this behavior of galvanized steel. The Sandelin area is roughly between
0.05% and 0.15% silicon. The area on the graph labeled II, which represents a
steel content of greater than 0.25% silicon, shows the coating thickness increases
with increased silicon content and then starts to level off at around 0.4% silicon.

Figure 2: Sandelin Curve

Figure 3: Coating Due to Phosphorous

In addition to silicon, the presence of phosphorus influences the reaction between
the liquid zinc and the steel, as seen in Figure 3. Phosphorus is generally considered
Galvaco Industries Sdn Bhd. | Different Appearances

an impurity in steel except where its beneficial effects on machinability and

resistance to atmospheric corrosion are desired. Some steels such as ASTM A 242
Type 1 present problems because they may contain both a high level of phosphorus
and a high level of silicon. The presence of phosphorus generally produces smooth
dull coating areas and ridges of a thicker coating where there is increased
intermetallic growth. The end-result is a rough surface with ridges appearance.

Figure 4 is an example of products with separate galvanized pieces that have very
different appearances due to the difference in steel chemistry. However, all of these
products still have an equal amount of corrosion resistance throughout and are
acceptable.

Figure 4: Shiny vs. Dull

Cooling Rate

Figure 5: Coating Appearance Due to Cooling Rate Difference

A visually dull or shiny coating on a product can be caused by the different rate of
cooling of a product. In Figure 5, the outer edges were cooled rapidly, which allowed
free zinc or an eta layer to form on top of the intermetallic layers. The zinc in the
center of the product that would have formed the eta layer was consumed in the
reaction with the iron after the part was removed from the galvanizing kettle and
formed an intermetallic layer that gives the dull gray look. Eventually as the product
weathers, the differences in appearance will disappear and it will become a dull
gray color throughout.
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Steel Processing

Figure 6: Coating Appearance Due to Steel Processing

In addition to temperature and chemistry of the steel, the processing of the steel
can also create a bright or dull appearance in galvanized products. The top rail in
Figure 6 has a winding pattern of dull gray areas corresponding to processing during
the tube making. The stresses in the steel affect the intermetallic formation and can
create this striped look. The corrosion protection is not affected and these parts are
acceptable.

Galvaco Industries Sdn Bhd. | Different Appearances