INFORMATION SHEET Zinc plating Zinc plating is widely used to provide sacrificial corrosion protection to steel and is usually

deposited in thicknesses varying from 5 to over 25 m depending upon the intended application, zinc plated coatings are usually passivated by immersing in chromate solution to increase the resistance of the zinc to corrosion, supplementary treatments can be applied after chromating to impart specific characteristics such as; Sealing to improve corrosion resistance Integral lubricant to improve torque characteristics of fasteners/threads With suitable pre treatment zinc can be deposited on almost any substrate, though by far the most common are ferrous substrates, however certain materials such as cast iron and carbonitrided steel require processing in specific types of zinc bath. Zinc is deposited from one of three major types of plating solution; Cyanide Alkaline non cyanide Acid chloride The deposits obtained from each of these solutions have different characteristics, including differences in, appearance, coverage of recesses, thickness uniformity and mechanical properties such as the ductility of the resultant deposit. Post zinc plating, the plated coatings are generally passivated to increase the protective value of the coating by immersing in chromate solutions, there are a number of classes of chromate coating that provide differing levels of corrosion protection as well as different appearances. With the introduction of the ELV and RoHS directives passivates containing hexavalant chromium (Cr VI) can not be applied to components that used in the automotive and electrical/electronic industries (with certain exceptions and exemptions always consult the end user and relevant legislation for definitive guidance). Current chromate solutions in use at Mp Eastern include; Clear/Blue Contains Cr III ELV/RoHS compliant Colour/Yellow Contains Cr VI not ELV/RoHS compliant Thick film trivalent Contains Cr III ELV/RoHS compliant, this class of passivate developed to approximate the corrosion resistance of the Colour/Yellow passivate as an ELV/RoHS compliant alternative Black passivate Contains Cr VI not ELV/RoHS compliant

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INFORMATION SHEET There are a number of significant factors which also interact that influence the corrosion resistance of zinc plated and passivated coatings under standard conditions, these include; Thickness of zinc deposit, generally the thicker the zinc deposit, once the protective value of the relevant chromate film has become negated, then the time to base metal corrosion or red rust is thickness dependent. Chromate film, the type of chromate film applied influences the time to first corrosion products of zinc or white rust appearing Production method, zinc coatings are produced by the rack or barrel method, with the protective value of the relevant chromate film typically less when produced by the barrel method than when produced by the rack method. The main cause being mechanical damage to the film that is inherent in the barrel production method. Component, the substrate condition, shape of the part all have an influence on final protective value of the specific system applied. It should also be appreciated that there is no correlation between accelerated corrosion testing such as salt spray testing and component life in real world environments, corrosion testing is used as quality control tool, more often that not to obtain qualitative rankings of various systems performance rather than a predictive tool for how coatings life in actual use. Processing high tensile parts such as components that have been hardened requires baking treatments after plating (but generally before chromating) for hydrogen embrittlement relief, the baking times and temperatures are dependent upon the degree of hardness and may also be dependent on the method of achieving the hardness, failure to bake to mitigate hydrogen embrittlement on high tensile parts will most likely lead to hydrogen enbrittlement failure of the part in service or even before service, more details are provided in ISO 9587 and ISO 9588. Like all electrolytic processes zinc coatings vary in thickness both over the part (within piece variation) and between parts (piece to piece variation) see the Information sheet: Plating variation - for more information on plating variation. When specifying zinc plating on drawings or orders it is recommended that wherever possible national, international or defence standards are used to provide the processing instructions to your supplier, typically the following information should also be provided; Specification reference Base material composition and condition Significant surfaces and areas where measurements of coating thickness are to be made. Any areas that must not be used as contact points for jigging/wiring Any special inspection requirements Any special packing requirements
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INFORMATION SHEET See also BS EN 1403:1998 Corrosion protection of metals Electrodeposited coatings Method of specifying general requirements. You can find more details with explanations why this information is important in the Information sheet: Order information. Specifications The common UK standards used for specifying electroplated zinc coatings summarised in table form below for information purposes only. MP Eastern have a large library of obsolete/superseded, international and customer specifications, call us if you are having difficulty obtaining relevant information, we may be able to help. Call us on 01502 573047 or e mail sales@mpeastern.co.uk

British standards for specifying zinc plating

Standard BS EN 12329:2000 Notes Coating requirements may are specified by referencing the following codes or service conditions, where; the minimum zinc thickness is specified as a number e.g. ZN5 = 5 m minimum thickness of zinc, and the passivate type or an supplementary treatment is called up by using the appropriate code. Typical thickness codes: ZN5, ZN8, ZN12, ZN25 Passivate codes: A = Clear passivate, B = Bleached passivate, C = Colour passivate, D = Olive drab passivate, F = Black passivate. Supplementary treatment codes: T1 = Application of paints, varnishes, powder coatings or similar coatings materials. T2 = Application of organic or inorganic sealants T3 = Dyeing T4 = Application of grease or oil or other lubricants T5 = Application of wax Example of full coating classification: Zinc plate to BS EN 12329:2000 FE//ZN8//A Which means; FE = Ferrous substrate, ZN = Zinc coating 8 = 8 m min deposit and A = Clear passivate. Standard for imperial fasteners, thickness is dependent upon screw thread dia and passivation called up by the appropriate code. Screw thread dia Batch av thk (m) 0.060 to 0.125 3.8 to 5.1 m 0.126 to 0.250 5.1 to 6.4 m 0.250 to 0.500 6.4 to 7.6 m 0.500 to 0.750 7.6 to 8.9 m > 0.75 See BS EN 12329 Passivate codes: A = Clear, B = Bleached C = Colour, D = Olive drab Bk = Black Standard for fasteners, plating thickness is dependent upon thread dia and passivation is called up by the appropriate code. Screw thread dia Batch av thk (m) 1.0 to 2.0 mm 3 m 2.5 to 8.0 mm 5 m 10 to 16 mm 8 m 18 to 22 mm 10 m > 22 mm See the table in the specification Passivate codes: Class 1 : A = Clear, B = Bleached Class 2 : C = Colour, D = Olive drab Bk = Black Comments Superseded BS 1706:1990

BS 7371-12:2008

Superseded BS 3382 Part 2

BS EN ISO4042:2000

Replaces BS7371-3:1993

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INFORMATION SHEET
Defence standards for specifying zinc plating
Standard Def Stan 03-20 Notes Steels Min local thk 10 m Min av thk 14 m Copper base materials & corrosion resisting steels Min local thk 8 m Min av thk 12 m Threaded items < 20 mm dia Up to 3 mm Min av thk 4 m 3 mm to 5 mm Min av thk 5 m 5 mm to 13 mm Min av thk 6.5 m 13 mm to 20 mm Min av thk 7.5 m Washers Min av thk 5 m Rivets, taper pins & cotters Min av thk 8 m The finish required is invoked by using the appropriate reference; 19-3 Zinc plate to Def Stan 03-20 Min thk 14 m av 10 m local 19-4 Zinc plate & passivate to BS EN 12329:2000 FE//ZN5 & Def Stan 03-33 Min thk 12.5 m av 5 m local 19-5 Zinc plate & passivate to Def Stan 03-20 and BS6338 Min thk 40 m av 25 m local 19-6 Zinc plate & passivate to Def Stan 03-20, thickness varies according to screw thread dia. Comments Passivate to BS 6338, trivalent systems may be used provided they meet the requirements of BS 6338. Chromate classification: A = Clear, B = Bleached C = Colour, D = Olive drab

Def Stan 21-5

Supersedes NES1005/19-n and NWS 1000/5/19-n, where n = numerical suffix 3, 4, 5 or 6

Please consult the latest issue of the appropriate specification for definitive information.

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