When it comes to protecting steel pallet rack systems from corrosion, you have more than one option. Two of these options are galvanized steel and painted steel. While both have their own strengths, one of them is more cost effective and stands the test of time much longer: galvanized steel. Galvanized steel is created through the chemical fusing of the iron in the steel and a hot bath of zinc. Not only is galvanized steel much less costly than painted steel, it also requires less upkeep. Painted steel needs to be touched up every few years in order to maintain a highly functioning protective barrier. Galvanized steel, however, never needs to be touched up or have any work done to it.
Galvanized steel is more or less standard no matter what. The benefits you get from one galvanized steel product you will get from another. Painted steel, on the other hand, varies by the type of work you have done on it or the type of paint you use. This means you have to do research to decide what type of paint coating you need to best protect your structure, and your final decision still might not be the best choice to fit your needs.
You do not have to worry about the weather wearing on galvanized steel. It is completely weatherproof and will not react with the atmosphere. Painted coating, not matter how thick, will eventually succumb to the natural abrasion of the weather and atmosphere and will have to be replaced often. Galvanized steel can last 75 years or more without maintenance due to natural factors. Painted steel generally needs to be worked on or replaced every 12-15 years.
The actual shipping and/or application of painted steel is less than convenient than the shipping of galvanized steel. When shipped, painted steel must be meticulously packaged to avoid scratching and chipping from parts hitting other parts. This requires lots of packaging and lots of waste. Galvanized steel doesn’t require any superfluous packaging as the galvanizing process makes the steel durable and able to be rubbed against each other without being damaged. If you are applying a paint coating after your steel structure is already erected, you have to take into account factors such as how the coating is going to be applied and the weather when the coating is applied. Additionally, the application process for painted coating can’t necessarily reach all the edges and corners of the steel structure, leaving areas more vulnerable to corrosion. The galvanization process for steel is done before the parts are formed or molded, leaving no surface unprotected.