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ASTM A153 — Galvanized Hardware and Fasteners

The specification for the bolts, nuts, washers and small forgings that ASTM A123 does not cover. Class by class, with the ounces converted into the microns your gauge reads.

ASTM A153 covers hot dip galvanized hardware — castings, fasteners, rolled, pressed and forged products, and miscellaneous threaded items. The dividing line from ASTM A123 is not size but handling: A153 articles are centrifuged, spun or otherwise handled to fling off excess zinc so that threads still assemble.

That is why the coating weights are lower than A123's, and why a bolt galvanized to A123 will usually not thread. If a specification names A123 for the structure, it needs A153 for the fasteners that hold it together.

The class table

Minimum weight of zinc coating per square foot of surface, from ASTM A153.

ClassArticles coveredAverage of specimensAny one specimenApprox. metric
ACastings — malleable iron, steel2.00 oz/ft²1.80 oz/ft²≈ 610 g/m² ≈ 85 µm
B-1Rolled, pressed and forged articles over 5/8 in thick and over 15 in long2.00 oz/ft²1.80 oz/ft²≈ 610 g/m² ≈ 85 µm
B-2Same, under 5/8 in thick and over 15 in long1.50 oz/ft²1.25 oz/ft²≈ 458 g/m² ≈ 64 µm
B-3Same, any thickness, under 15 in long1.30 oz/ft²1.10 oz/ft²≈ 397 g/m² ≈ 56 µm
CFasteners over 3/8 in diameter; washers over 3/16 in thick1.25 oz/ft²1.00 oz/ft²≈ 381 g/m² ≈ 53 µm
DFasteners under 3/8 in diameter; rivets, nails and similar1.00 oz/ft²0.85 oz/ft²≈ 305 g/m² ≈ 43 µm

Conversions use 1 oz/ft² = 305.15 g/m² and 7.14 g/m² per micron of zinc, and are given to help you read a DFT gauge against an imperial specification — the standard itself states the requirement as a weight. Note that Class A and B-1 land on 610 g/m², the same figure IS 4759 and EN ISO 1461 arrive at independently for heavy sections.

Threads, and why they are the whole problem

  • Zinc has thickness, and a thread does not have room for it. An M20 bolt carrying 53 microns on every flank has lost clearance on both sides of the thread. A153 handles this by centrifuging, and by permitting the nut to be tapped oversize after galvanizing.
  • Overtapped nuts are normal, not a defect. A galvanized nut that spins freely on a galvanized bolt has usually been tapped after coating. Specify the assembly, not the pieces.
  • Embrittlement matters above class 8.8. A153 carries embrittlement requirements that A123 does not. High-strength fasteners are the case where hot dip galvanizing needs a conversation before the order, not after.

What Indo East supplies

  • Foundation and anchor bolts in IS 1367 property classes 4.6, 5.6 and 8.8, galvanized in-house.
  • Pole line hardware and fittings, supplied alongside our substation, transmission and distribution structures — some manufactured at our Howrah works and some supplied to the customer's specification. We say which is which on enquiry.
  • Where an export order names A123 for the structure and A153 for the hardware, both are quoted and certified separately, with the coating readings issued per batch.

Questions engineers ask

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

What is the difference between ASTM A123 and ASTM A153?

A123 covers structural products; A153 covers hardware and fasteners that are centrifuged after dipping to clear the threads. A153's coating weights are lower for that reason. A bolt galvanized to A123 thickness would generally not assemble.

How much zinc does ASTM A153 require on a bolt?

For fasteners over 3/8 inch diameter, Class C: an average of 1.25 oz/ft², with no single specimen below 1.00 oz/ft². That is roughly 381 g/m², or about 53 microns. Fasteners under 3/8 inch fall in Class D at 1.00 oz/ft² average.

Why does my galvanized nut feel loose on the bolt?

Because it was almost certainly tapped oversize after galvanizing, which is the accepted way of making room for the coating on the bolt thread. It is normal practice under A153, not a fault. Order the bolt and nut as an assembly so the fit is controlled.

Can you galvanize high-strength fasteners?

Class 8.8 and below is routine. Above that, hydrogen embrittlement risk rises and A153 carries embrittlement requirements A123 does not — send the grade and the application and we will advise before the order rather than after the dip.

Do you supply bolts with the structures?

Yes. Foundation and anchor bolts in IS 1367 property classes 4.6, 5.6 and 8.8 are supplied with our substation, transmission and telecom structures and galvanized on our own line.

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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