your project…maintenance free!

Many architects, engineers, and other specifiers have long known galvanized steel is a durable long-lasting form of corrosion protection. What you and others may not have known is galvanized steel is also maintenance-free for decades. Specifying galvanized steel will eliminate the need for time-consuming (and costly) routine maintenance.

For more information on the maintenance-free life of hot-dip galvanized steel, visit the Time to First Maintenance page by clicking the chart below

your coating…more economical

The maintenance-free aspect of galvanizing not only saves you time, but it also saves you money. Routine touch-up and maintenance required of paint systems will quickly more than double the initial cost of a project. When specifying a corrosion protection coating, you should consider not only the initial cost, but also the life-cycle cost. With galvanizing, which provides maintenance-free protection for 50 or more years, often the initial cost IS the life-cycle cost. However, with most paint systems, touch-up and maintenance cycles begin within the first 5-10 years of the project. Imagine what you will do with your saved maintenance dollars!

Want to see for yourself? Visit http://www.galvanizingcost.com to run your own initial and life-cycle cost analysis.

your structure….better for the environment

Hot-dip galvanized steel’s primary component is zinc. Zinc is the 27th most abundant natural element in the Earth’s crust. It is essential to all life, and used in many common products such as cold remedies, sunscreen, diaper cream, and tires. Additionally, zinc (and steel) can be recycled indefinitely without the loss of any physical or chemical properties. The long, maintenance-free life of galvanizing means no additional raw materials or energy are consumed or waste generated maintaining the coating. And once the structure’s intended purpose is complete, the entire piece can be recycled and reused.

the possibilities

Hot-dip galvanized steel has been used in a myriad of applications worldwide for more than 100 years. Check out these HDG Case Studies to whet your creative appetite. Imagine what you can create with maintenance-free galvanized steel!

Churchhill River Bridge

The province of Newfoundland specifies hot-dip galvanizing as their preferred Corrosion Protection method because of its longevity. On this project, the Government of Newfoundland specified hot-dip galvanizing because of the abrasiveness of the installation technique, as well as the sub-artic location. Hot-dip galvanized steel is ideal for this location because it can withstand the harsh environment with little or no maintenance. The 2,000 tons of steel were galvanized in just over a month to meet the tight delivery schedule required by the severely limited construction season.
The bridge comprised three spans in excess of 122 meters (400 feet) each, as well as about 805 meters (0.5 miles) of approach causeways. The galvanized bridge complements the natural environment without compromising it, as other systems have the potential to do because of their maintenance requirements. Galvanizing the Churchill River Bridge ensures this important facet of the Trans Labrador Highway will be effective and Maintenance-free for many years.

For more case studies of galvanized steel in use please click HERE

learning more

If you are interested in learning more about hot-dip galvanizing, the American Galvanizers Association (AGA) provides a free continuing education seminar. Presented in three different formats for your convenience, you can learn in-person by having AGA staff and/or members give a presentation at your office, or on the web in either webinar (presented) or independent study format. The in-person seminar is the best way to learn because you have a galvanizing representative present to answer any questions immediately. However, if you have less than 10 people in your office, or need to learn immediately, you can take the course online or attend a pre-scheduled webinar. The AGA is a registered provider with both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).


The AGA also published a quarterly e-newsletter to keep you abreast on technical updates and news in the hot-dip galvanizing industry. Click on the link below to sign-up for Galvanizing Insights