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Education & Resources Resources Dr. Galv ASTM A123 and G90 Specifications

ASTM A123 and G90 Specifications

March 12, 2013
Authored by Bernardo A. Duran III

Are ASTM A123 and G90 equivalent galvanizing specifications?

G90
First of all, G90 is not a galvanizing specification; it is a coating thickness designation in the galvanizing specification ASTM A653. This specification is for
hot-dip galvanizing steel sheet using the continuous (high-speed) galvanizing process. The designation G90 is simply a coating thickness of 0.9 oz/ft2as
specified in A653 and is equivalent to 0.45 oz/ft2or about 0.76 mils per side (it is important to state per side because the oz/ft2method takes into
consideration the coating thickness on both sides of the steel, such as in the case of sheet steel). Some other coatingthicknesses in A653 you may have
heard of include G60 (0.6 oz/ft2) or G185 (1.85 oz/ft2).

The coating produced by continuous galvanizing is uniform, has sufficient ductility to withstand deep drawing or bending without damage to the coating,
and consists almost entirely of pure zinc.In the continuous process, the steel in sheet, strip or wire form is passed through the cleaning tanks and zinc
kettles at a very rapid speed. The speed determines the coating thickness and can range upwards of 200 feet per minute. This speed, in combination with
slight additions of aluminum to the zinc bath, helps suppress the formation ofzinc-iron alloy layers. This results is a thin coating of almost pure zinc with
very little intermetallic growth.

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Continuous Sheet Galvanizing

A variety of coating weights are available, ranging from 0.25 mils (6 m) to just under 2 mils (50m) per side. The standard product is Class G90, which has
0.9 oz/ ft2of sheet (total both sides) or about 0.76 mils (18m) thickness per side. Batch galvanizing coating specifications are given in weight per surface
area. The galvanized sheet coating parameters relate to total for both sides of the sheet. The sheet coating thicknesses must be divided by two for an
approximate comparison.

A123
ASTM A123,Standard Specification of Zinc (Hot-Dip Galvanized) Coatings on Iron and Steel Products, refers to products fabricated and thenhot-dip
galvanized using the batch process.The two methods of hot-dip galvanizing, batch and continuous, produce very different products with different
characteristics. The hot-dip galvanized coating consists of a series of layers of zinc-iron alloy with successively higher zinc contents towards the coating
surface. The coating is unique in that it is metallurgically bonded to the steel substrate, with the coating integral to the steel. The strength of the bond is
measured in the range of several thousand psi.

If you are simply trying to specify a galvanized coating thickness that is 0.9 oz/ft2or greater, that should not be a problem using the batch galvanizing
process (where the steel is fabricated and then dipped into a kettle of molten zinc), but if the steel is very thin, warpage/distortion is a possibility.

If you want pre-galvanized sheet that can be formed into various shapes, then you will need to talk with a supplier of galvanized

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sheet.(Contact the Galv Info Center at www.galvinfo.com for a list of suppliers of galvanized sheet products.)Pre-galvanized sheet
tends to be very formable without cracking the galvanized coating because it is made almost entirely of eta layer (free zinc) and has
very little alloying, unlike the hot-dip galvanized coatings produced using the batch process. This lack of alloying also means pre-
galvanized sheet is less abrasion resistant than steel galvanized using the batch process.

Both coatings provide barrier and cathodic protection,a benefit unique to galvanizing. And both coatings protect steel from rust better than other
corrosion protection systems. However, the coating thickness difference is significant. Each type of galvanized product, batch or continuous, has
applications where it would be best utilized. If you are looking for more information that discusses the differences between continuous and batch hot-dip
galvanizing, download the AGA publicationZinc Coatings, which gives in-depth explanations of both processes (as well as the other zinc coating
processes), and the one page comparison sheet,General Hot-Dip Galvanizing vs.Continuous Sheet Galvanizing

2017 American Galvanizers Association

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