Galvanizing or Zinc Coating?

Elegant Gates has moved to the “green side” to produce its premium ornamental iron residential entrance and walkway gates using zinc rich coatings as a means for directly and positively impact the environment and produce a higher quality product.

Fallbrook, CA – For years, the industry standard for iron gate coatings has been galvanizing. However, today’s green movement has caused at least one of the nation’s premier gate manufacturers, Elegant Gates, to realize that ecological concerns aren’t just for tree-huggers.

Elegant Gates has moved to the “green side” to produce its premium ornamental iron residential entrance and walkway gates using zinc rich coatings as a means for directly and positively impact the environment and produce a higher quality product.

“Our rationale for switching from galvanizing to the zinc rich coatings is simple: the customer is happier with a superior product and we help the environment,” explains Todd Jackson, founder of Elegant Gates and a recognized leader in the ornamental wrought iron industry for more than 20 years.

Prior to switching, Jackson had been galvanizing his gates only to receive several complaints each year from customers about rust issues. He then switched to the best finish available, a zinc rich coating, and brought the painting procedures in-house where he could directly supervise the coating process. The change in coating and in-house application resulted in greater customer satisfaction with no complaints. Since that time, Jackson has secured several customer testimonies that validate his decision to change.

From a green perspective, the process of galvanizing wreaks havoc on the environment and for those who work the process. Hot dipped zinc baths contain lead resulting in galvanizing having 5 to 10 times the amount of lead compared to inorganic coatings. The Galvanizing Industry still use sodium dichromate, a known human carcinogen, to quench the galvanizing and give it a chromate surface treatment to minimize white rust development during storage.