Letter 15028

Hot Dipped Galvanized [Malaysia] 

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Dear Sir,

I am doing a proposal on trunking installation. The use of this trunking is for IT cabling system (UTP and Fibre).I proposed to use mild-steel trunking instead of hot dipped galvanized trunking since it is cheaper.

As an expert, please provide information regarding the hot dipped galvanized specifically :
a. the process
b. the advantages
c. the disadvantages
d. the effect of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) on the cabling
e. comparison with mild steel trunking

Thank you.

Zamri Omar
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

First, the standard disclaimer: you don't get expert opinion for free, over the internet, from strangers who have no vested interest and who have not studied the situation. If you need an expert opinion, you need to retain a consultant.

But, moving on, galvanizing is a process wherein the parts are dipped into molten zinc, leaving a coating of a thousandth of an inch of zinc or so. The zinc surface offers cathodic protection to the steel. I don't think it will have much effect on EMI either way. Plain steel will rust before you even install it. If the installation is in a controlled environment it will probably merely be unsightly; if the environment is aggressive, plain steel would rust away quickly and be totally unsatisfactory.

When you say "mild steel", perhaps you mean painted mild steel?

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, NJ

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