August 9, 2023
One critical need across many building projects is corrosion protection. Guarding against corrosion is key in a variety of industries. For a stocking distributor, it's important to meet your customers where they're at. Like you, they are looking for quality at the right price.
The caliber of the materials you carry for construction, architecture, and other structural projects matters to the project's integrity, as well as for your business's reputation. Products should sell themselves — they generally need a quality guarantee, accessible price, and simple implementation.
For your business's sake, it's important you point customers in the right direction towards a high-caliber product with long-term value, easy application, and an easy distribution format for your stocking purposes.
That's where cold galvanizing compounds come in. These innovative product is high-quality, and in high demand when it comes to corrosion protection. Read on to learn more about what makes these products valued across certain industries, their protective benefits, and other key information for distributors.
What is the current state of the corrosion protection market?
Corrosion protection is everywhere, and it can be found in a few forms: A few paint-on solutions with varying levels of zinc — a key protectant — and the more costly "hot-dip galvanizing" solution.
Barrier paints can sometimes be called "galvanized compounds" if, and only if, they include a high enough percentage of zinc. They're typically inferior products to a cold galvanizing compound due to the lower levels of protective zinc in the dried film; there may be no zinc in the paint film itself at all.
Cold galvanizing compounds provide self-healing, continuous protection to otherwise corrosive metals.
A lesser noble metal will corrode to the more noble. Zinc-rich compounds can be applied by spray or by brush (like a paint) to steel. Zinc is a sacrificial anode used to prevent corrosion through cathodic protection. Being less noble than steel, Zinc forms hydroxycarbonate salt when it corrodes that bonds with the existing zinc in the film coating while upholding galvanic protection. This self-healing process creates a dense, impervious, galvanic coating that is resistant to weather, water, and fumes.
For these reasons, barrier paints don't sufficiently ward off moisture or corrosion as well as zinc-rich cold galvanized compounds. These paints' ease of distribution and application can be alluring, but high-quality, long-term protection isn't guaranteed.
Another key factor? Health and safety. Lower percentage zinc coatings can include impure zinc dust that contains lead, cadmium and other health risks. It's not as dangerous when applying, but when a new coat is needed — more frequently if a lower-caliber solution— scraping and sandblasting the coating can turn a building project into "lead abatement project."It's a dangerous and costly risk for any business.
Hot-dip galvanizing is another historic solution. This solution doesn't exactly apply to distributors since it's an on-location process that takes place in a plant. It's an effective method for corrosion protection, but not every business has time, resources, or flexibility to take everything that needs protection to a limited number of plants.
Why are cold galvanizing compounds in such high demand and known for their exceptional quality?
Cold galvanizing compounds are the Goldilocks-esque third option. They perform as well as hot-dip galvanizing, and it's not hard to see why they're in high demand among your customers.
Here's the key information about Cold Galvanizing Compounds and why they stand out:
- Cold galvanizing compounds have an extremely high percentage of zinc dust in the dried film — greater than 92%.
- It's why it performs equivalent to hot-dip galvanizing, without needing to go to the plant
- These compounds can be applied, like a paint, out of a can and on-site
- It's a point that's not only beneficial for buyers, but also for distributing, warehousing, and shipping.
- When applied in the right conditions, cold galvanizing compounds are a time-tested and proven solution to corrosion protection.
- The pure zinc and long lifespan don't give rise to the same health concerns as other options.
The combined long-term value, smart packaging, and easy application makes these compounds highly alluring to a variety of industries. Says Steven Collins at ZRC Worldwide, "Industry people have been educated on the benefits. There's high demand because anyone can say, 'I have this piece of metal, I want to protect it from rust and obviously regular or barrier pants aren't going to do that effectively, because I'll be repainting it in a year or two.'"
To go more in-depth on "What Is A Cold Galvanizing Compound?", see our latest blog.
Who are the customers and industries that benefit from using cold galvanizing compounds?
It's easy to see the benefits of cold galvanizing compounds in the form of zinc-rich coatings (ZRC). Architects and structural engineers are typically the driving force behind cold galvanizing compound usage. Some uses for the protections that cold galvanizing compounds provide include:
Bridges
Protection of steel structures, such as the railings of the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, Ontario.
Construction
Coatings for structural channel frames, like the Bank of America Building in San Francisco, the l.D.S. Center in Minneapolis, and the Republic Bank Tower in Dallas
Industrial Maintenance
Maintenance for structures and equipment both inside and outside industrial, petrochemical, and food processing plants
Manufacturing
Coatings on the inside surfaces of water tanks like international manufacturers Leach Co. in Oshkosh, WI.
Power Plants
Protection for HVAC ductwork, and more worldwide
Offshore Marine Rigs
Protections for above and below the waterline
Transmission Towers
Original protection for structural steel and regalvanizing support cables.
Water & Waste Plants
Steel protections in extremely hostile environments
What compound should you consider stocking, and what makes it a profitable choice?
For stocking distributors, it's great news that cold galvanizing compounds are in demand. The original — and leading — cold galvanizing compounds are made by ZRC Worldwide.
It's a name that sells: ZRC's cold galvanizing compound is specified by far more architects and structural engineers than all other corrosion protection products combined.
"An architect's reputation can be on the line if an inferior product is used. It can cause corrosive failures, and those failures fall back on project decision-makers," says the ZRC team.
With this in mind, it's likely that the customer entering your store is looking at plan specifics, and will ask if you have ZRC's product in stock.
Why is this great? Distributors don't have to do any sales work. The person is ready to buy because an architect has specified the product — and chances are you won't have to discount anything to move the product off your shelves.
Get ready to sell with ZRC
Imitation is flattering, but the proof is in the paint. With craftsman-like expertise built over generations, ZRC Worldwide created zinc coating technology as a hot-dip alternative to combat corrosion and has been a worldwide leader in the space for 70 years.
Whether your customers are touching up an existing project or completing a full-sized job from scratch, our team can help you stock and sell. With years of application and product knowledge, our customer service team can help you start distributing today.
