Steel strand can be used in the manufacture of various products, including wire rope, aircraft cable, and bridge and building support structural cable. The steel cable construction consists of thin steel wires stranded together to give the cable the perfect combination of strength and flexibility. Different constructions make it possible to use steel cables in a variety of industrial, commercial, recreational and military applications.The right type of stainless steel cable is the preferred choice for extreme environments where exposure to moisture, salt water, or corrosive or caustic chemicals is possible. A galvanized zinc coating will provide some form of corrosion resistance for most applications and will still provide the strength and flexibility characteristics the end user wants.

However, for the end-user, the term “galvanized” may be confusing as there are a number of options for providing protection for the base metal. We will review two different processes of galvanization in this article— electro galvanization and hot-dip galvanization. There are a number of cable distributors carrying one product type and marking it as “galvanized,” but do not specify whether it is electro galvanized or a galvanized hot dip product. This can lead to confusion for the end-user when comparing galvanized cable quotes because the price and resistance to corrosion can vary from the product of the same specifications.

Electro galvanization is a form of zinc electroplating in which a thin layer of zinc is bonded to steel electrically and chemically to protect against rust and corrosion.Every uncoated steel wire is immersed in a molten zinc bath in a hot dip galvanized cable. The wires are put through a rigorous 7-step caustic cleaning process before dipping and then dipped into the molten zinc at around 860 ° F/460 ° C.