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Posted: 21st March 2023 | Author: Adam Brown
Back to newsGalvanised steel is a versatile, reliable and durable material suitable for all kinds of metalwork projects. It has all kinds of useful properties, such as being rust and corrosion resistant. It’s also extraordinarily long-lasting, depending on the conditions it’s exposed to.
Now, how is galvanised steel made? It’s a type of steel which has been coated in zinc, usually through a ‘hot dip’ application process. This is where clean steel is dipped into molten zinc, forming a metallurgic bond. Through this natural reaction, the zinc effectively becomes part of the steel. The major benefit of this galvanisation process is that it helps the steel to resist corrosion.
The main aim of galvanising steel with a zinc coating is to protect the steel body from rust and other corrosive elements. Ordinarily, the iron elements of steel would be prone to rusting when exposed to weather, moisture and even oxygen. For example, if you used non-galvanised steel for a roofing project, it would be likely to rust and need to be replaced.
But once fully applied, the zinc coating on galvanised steel acts as a protective barrier against moisture and corrosion. This helps to prevent rusting, and so makes the material ideal for outdoor projects.
Galvanised steel has lots of uses, which we’ll look at these in more detail next. But is it safe to use for food preparation and storage? It’s not commonly used for cookware, but galvanised steel is sometimes used in parts of professional kitchens. For example, it can be used for pallet racks in freezers, bread cooling racks or even counter tops.
There is one major hazard to watch out for, however. Galvanised steel doesn’t react well to prolonged contact with acidic foods and drinks. Examples include any fruits or products which contain citric acid, or milk and dairy products which contain lactic acid. Over time, the natural acids in these kinds of foods can react with the zinc coating of the steel.
This can create zinc salts, which can be hazardous to health when consumed by humans. The acetic acid in vinegar can also cause corrosion to galvanised steel material. So, galvanised steel can be considered safe when in contact with certain foods for short periods of time. But other materials such as stainless steel could be a better choice for food preparation environments.
Due to its durability and anti-corrosion properties, galvanised steel is commonly used in outdoor metalwork. Common applications include: fencing balconies, verandas and staircases ladders and outdoor walkways roofing construction - particularly when building steel-frame structures.
Galvanised steel is also widely used in the automotive industry, especially on the bodywork of vehicles due to its rust resistance. It’s used to make car parts, and other vehicles such as bicycles too. Many everyday DIY and building products are made from galvanised steel. In fact, there are more of them around than you may realise. This includes brackets and plates, nuts and bolts, jiffy hangers, tools, poles, tubing, wires, rails, gutters, fencing and much, much more.
You’ll also find the material widely used in the telecommunications industry, farming and agriculture applications and in wind and solar installations.
One of the main reasons galvanised steel is used so much is because it’s cost effective to produce. It’s pretty straightforward to galvanise metals in this way, and it can considerably expand their usable lifespan - in addition to their resistance to corrosion.
If you’re thinking of using galvanised steel in your project, you might find it useful to know a little about how sustainable it is as a material. One of the main questions you may have is - can it be recycled?
The good news is that galvanised steel can be easily recycled. So, when it eventually comes to the end of its usable life, it’s good to know that it can be recycled with other steel scrap. This happens within the electric arc furnace (EAF) steel production process, where the zinc coating turns to dust early in the process.
This zinc dust can then be recycled in a specialist process, while steel can be recycled just like ordinary scrap metal. Galvanised products can also be re-galvanised and reused where appropriate. A final thing to consider when assessing the sustainability of galvanised steel is its lifespan.
It’s estimated that it can last for anywhere between 50 and 70 years without corroding, and without maintenance. Although of course, this depends on what it’s used for and the conditions it is exposed to. Opting to use a material with a long lifespan is an eco-friendly choice, as it means that it will be many years before it needs to be replaced. Standard steel may have a fraction of that lifespan, so will need to be replaced more regularly. This means more materials will need to be manufactured.
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The Author: Adam Brown
With a background as a Mechanical Engineer, I started Nationwide Supplies alongside my brother with a vision to modernise what seemed a stuck-in-its-ways industry in the builders merchant sector. Since 2011 it has been my goal to source quality products at the correct prices to be able to offer a saving to customers along with high quality customer service which offers quick delivery and superior technical knowledge in the industry.
