Hot-dip galvanizing is the process of dipping fabricated steel into a kettle or vat containing molten zinc. The process is inherently simple which provides a distinct advantage over other corrosion protection methods. While the steel is in the kettle, the iron in the steel metallurgically reacts with the molten zinc to form a tightly-bonded alloy coating that provides superior corrosion protection to steel.

The coating that develops during the galvanizing process is metallurgically bonded to the steel and virtually becoming a part of the steel itself. During the reaction in the kettle, the zinc interacts with the iron in the steel to form a series of zinc-iron alloy layers.