OUR FACILITIES
When it comes to hot-tip galvanizing services, we are known for producing outstanding results. We follow proprietary and industry-accepted methodologies in managing galvanizing projects large and small, for customers in a wide range of industries. While many of those customers interact with us as Steel Ventures, our facility in Wurtland, Kentucky, is a critical resource for facilities throughout the Steel Dynamics family of companies. In fact, we receive steel from the company’s Huntington, West Virginia, facility as well as other plants in the surrounding region.
Hot-dip galvanizing protects steel by immersing fabricated material into molten zinc at approximately 860°F. During this process, the zinc metallurgically reacts with the iron in the steel, forming a tightly bonded alloy coating that provides exceptional corrosion protection and long-term durability. The result is a finish that is abrasion-resistant, cost-effective, environmentally responsible, and 100% recyclable.
As a national and international supplier of galvanized steel, we sell blast-resistant modules to refining and natural gas industries. We also sell modules to industrial and commercial construction for safety reasons and to government and the military for security reasons. We coat a variety of products as well, including truck trailer cross members, I-beams, guardrail posts, complex fabricated assemblies, and parts.
Proper surface preparation is critical to the success of the process. Before galvanizing, steel is chemically cleaned to remove oils, mill scale, rust, and contaminants to ensure the zinc bonds effectively. The zinc bath itself consists of more than 98% pure zinc, with small additives such as aluminum, nickel, and bismuth to improve coating appearance, efficiency, and performance. Once immersed, the steel develops a uniform, protective coating that extends the life of the product in even the harshest environments.
Our galvanizing capabilities support applications across construction, utilities, transportation, refining, natural gas, government, and military sectors. We produce galvanized products ranging from small components like hardware and fittings to large structural shapes and complex fabrications, including I-beams, guardrail posts, truck trailer cross members, and custom assemblies. While bath size can sometimes limit dimensions, progressive dipping techniques allow us to accommodate significantly larger materials, making hot-dip galvanizing a practical solution for many structural and infrastructure applications essential throughout North America.
At our Wurtland plant, the hot-dip galvanizing process we follow results in a steel that is immensely abrasion-resistant, durable in most atmospheric conditions, and 100% recyclable and cost-effective. Our highly trained team of specialists, experts in areas of environmental responsibility and remediation, build professional cohesion through their adherence to distinct performance and safety guidelines.
The process of dipping fabricated steel into a kettle or vat containing molten zinc is inherently simple, which provides a distinct advantage over other corrosion protection methods. While the steel is in the kettle, the iron in the steel metallurgically reacts with the molten zinc to form a tightly bonded alloy coating that provides superior corrosion protection to steel.
Batch hot-dip galvanizing, also known as general galvanizing, produces a zinc coating by completely immersing the steel product in a bath (kettle) of molten zinc. Prior to immersion in the zinc bath, the steel is chemically cleaned to remove all oils, greases, soil, mill scale, and oxides. Surface preparation is critical as zinc will not react with unclean steel.
After surface preparation, the steel is immersed in the molten (830 F) zinc bath. The bath consists of more than 98% pure zinc and the remaining 2% or less consists of additives—most commonly aluminum, nickel, and bismuth. These additives help with zinc fluidity and consumption, coating appearance, and other efficiencies. While in the galvanizing kettle, the molten zinc metallurgically reacts with the iron in the steel to form the coating.
Hot-dip galvanized coatings are used on many materials in construction sectors from electric utility to artistic sculptures. Ranging in size from small parts such as nuts, bolts, and nails to large structural shapes, galvanizing is integral to North American infrastructure. Batch hot-dip galvanizing is most used in atmospherically exposed steel; however, it is also used in fresh and saltwater applications, buried in soil, embedded in concrete, and much more.
Size can be a limitation to the application of hot-dip galvanizing. While the average length of zinc baths in North America is 40 feet, kettles of 55- to 60-feet long are common. Progressive dipping, which involves immersing one portion of the product and then the other, significantly increases the maximum size that can be accommodated to nearly double the bath size.
