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Glossary

Pre-galvanised steel

Steel that's been galvanised in coil form before being shaped. Coating is thinner than hot-dip galvanise but the steel is ready to use straight from stock.

Pre-galvanised steel ('pre-galv') is steel sheet or coil that goes through a continuous galvanising line (CGL) before being formed. The zinc coating is around 20 microns, much thinner than hot-dip galvanise after fabrication (60 to 100 microns).

The big advantage is that fabricated pre-galv parts are corrosion-resistant straight off the saw. No second trip to a galvanising bath. Cut edges and weld zones lose their zinc protection, but a touch-up with cold-galv spray or zinc-rich primer covers them adequately for less aggressive environments.

Pre-galv RHS and SHS are common for low-cost gate frames in inland Australia. For coastal C5 environments, hot-dip galvanise after fabrication is the safer call.

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