|
|
INITIAL COST
-
Hot dip galvanizing is often perceived to be more expensive than it is.
There are two reasons for this: Firstly, that such a high performance coating is
automatically assumed to be expensive. Secondly, the initial cost of galvanizing
relative to paint has changed significantly over recent years. Painting
costs have steadily increased whilst galvanizing costs have remained
stable.
Galvanizers Association recently commissioned independent consultants,
The Steel Protection Consultancy Ltd (SPC), to investigate the cost
competitiveness of galvanizing. SPC in conjunction with consulting
engineers, WS Atkins, designed a typical, 240 tonne, steel-framed
building and sent it out to tender. Two corrosion protection systems
were specified; (i) hot dip galvanizing and (ii) a good quality, grit
blast and three coat paint system of 250µm dry film thickness.
Quotations from eight fabricators in different parts of the UK were
obtained and averaged. The paint system was found to be 35% more
expensive than hot dip galvanizing.
The graph illustrates that for many applications the cost of hot dip
galvanizing is lower than that of applying alternative coatings. The
reason for this is simple: alternatives such as painting are very
labour intensive compared with galvanizing, which is a highly
mechanised, closely controlled, factory process.
Comparison between initial costs
|
|
|
