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ASTM A123 — Zinc Coatings on Iron and Steel Products

The specification an overseas buyer names when they will not accept an IS grade. The Table 1 coating grades, the IS 4759 comparison, and what we will and will not claim.

ASTM A123 sets minimum average coating thicknesses for hot-dip galvanized iron and steel products, expressed as coating grades in microns. Unlike the Indian standard it varies the requirement by material category as well as by steel thickness — structural shapes, plate, strip and bar, pipe and tubing, wire and reinforcing bar each have their own column.

For the structural work most buyers send us, the governing figure is Grade 100 — 100 microns — for steel over 1/4 inch (about 6.4 mm). That is meaningfully heavier than the IS 4759 equivalent of roughly 85 microns, and it is the single most common reason an export specification and a domestic one produce different answers on the same drawing.

Table 1 — minimum average coating thickness

By material category and steel thickness. Grades are stated in microns.

Material categorySteel thicknessCoating grade
Structural shapesUnder 1/16 in45 µm (1.8 mil)
Structural shapes1/16 to 1/8 in65 µm (2.6 mil)
Structural shapes1/8 to 1/4 in75 µm (3.0 mil)
Structural shapesOver 1/4 in100 µm (3.9 mil)
Plate, strip and barUnder 1/16 in45 µm (1.8 mil)
Plate, strip and bar1/16 to 1/8 in65 µm (2.6 mil)
Plate, strip and bar1/8 to 5/8 in75 µm (3.0 mil)
Plate, strip and barOver 5/8 in100 µm (3.9 mil)
Pipe and tubingAll45–75 µm (1.8–3.0 mil)
WireAll35–80 µm (1.4–3.1 mil)
Reinforcing barOver 1/4 in100 µm (3.9 mil)

Grades are minimum average thicknesses over the specimen. ASTM A123 also requires the finish to be continuous, smooth and uniform, free of uncoated areas, blisters, flux deposits and gross dross inclusions, and the coating to adhere for the service life of the article. Fasteners and small hardware fall under ASTM A153, not A123.

ASTM A123 against IS 4759

Same intent, different arithmetic. The gap is real and it is worth pricing.

IS 4759ASTM A123
Expressed asCoating mass, g/m²Coating thickness, microns
Heavy structural section610 g/m² ≈ 85 µmGrade 100 — 100 µm
Varies bySteel thicknessMaterial category and steel thickness
Uniformity checkCopper sulphate dip, IS 2633Visual finish and adherence criteria
Referee methodStripping, IS 6745Magnetic thickness measurement, weighing methods

We describe these as equivalent practice. Indo East does not hold ASTM A123 as a certification, and no honest Indian galvanizer does — A123 is a product specification a coating is supplied against, not a certificate a plant is issued. What we do is galvanize to the grade you name and certify the readings.

Ordering against ASTM A123 from India

  • Name the grade, not just the standard. “Galvanized to ASTM A123” leaves the category and thickness open. “ASTM A123 Grade 100” against a stated section thickness does not.
  • Say who inspects. We support third-party inspection by SGS, Bureau Veritas, TÜV, DNV or Intertek at the buyer's cost, and issue coating thickness readings per batch either way.
  • Send the drawing with the enquiry. Our kettle is 7.0 m × 1.2 m × 1.6 m; the governing constraint on an export order is usually geometry and venting, not coating grade.
  • Documentation travels with the consignment — commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, mill test certificates, galvanizing inspection report, and a certificate of origin issued through the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Kolkata.

Questions engineers ask

Answered from our own line, not from the standard's cover page.

What coating grade does ASTM A123 require for structural steel?

For structural shapes over 1/4 inch — about 6.4 mm — Table 1 calls for Grade 100, meaning a minimum average of 100 microns. Thinner material steps down through 75, 65 and 45 microns.

Is ASTM A123 the same as IS 4759?

They do the same job in different units. IS 4759 states a coating mass in g/m²; ASTM A123 states a thickness in microns and varies it by material category as well. For heavy structural sections the IS requirement of 610 g/m² works out at roughly 85 microns against A123's Grade 100, so an A123 order carries a genuinely heavier coating.

Is Indo East ASTM A123 certified?

No, and nor is any other galvanizer — ASTM A123 is a specification that a coating is supplied against, not a certification a plant holds. What we do is galvanize to the grade you specify and issue the coating thickness readings to prove it, open to third-party witness.

Which standard covers galvanized bolts and fasteners?

ASTM A153, not A123. Fasteners are centrifuged after dipping and carry their own coating requirements. We supply foundation and anchor bolts in IS 1367 property classes 4.6, 5.6 and 8.8.

Can you export galvanized structures to ASTM specifications?

Yes. Indo East holds Import Export Code 0211004090 and RCMC/EEPCINDIA/07882/2026-2027 with EEPC India as a Merchant-cum-Manufacturer Exporter. The works is 22 km from Kolkata Port with NH-6 access. Our direct export record is one consignment — fabricated structural steel to the Maldives in January 2018 under our own IEC — and we state that plainly rather than implying more.

What is the largest section you can galvanize?

The kettle is 7.0 m × 1.2 m × 1.6 m at 450–460 °C, with double-end dipping for longer members where the geometry allows. Maximum single-piece fabrication weight is 5 tonnes.

Related standards and pages

Send us the specification

Tell us the standard, the coating requirement and the component, and we will confirm in writing what we can hold and how we will certify it. Galvanizing is on our own floor, so the answer comes from us and not from a sub-contractor.

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