How much does it cost · hot-dip galvanizing
Hot-dip galvanizing is billed by weight: €0.45 to €0.90 per kg in Europe in 2026, and €0.90 to €1.50 per kg for small parts spun in a centrifuge, according to QuoteBuddy (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026). The rate rises as the steel gets thinner, because thin steel has more surface per kilo and takes up more zinc (source: Institut Feuerverzinken, September 2026). Nearly every galvanizer also charges a minimum per delivery, typically €150 to €300 (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026). RFQdecoder raises any lower amount to €150 and shows it on a separate quote line.
The galvanizer invoices weight, but zinc is deposited on surface area. A heavy section carries many kilos and relatively little surface, so it consumes little zinc per billed kilo; a railing in 2 mm tube is nearly all surface, and the rate climbs accordingly (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026).
Indicative 2026 rates for subcontract galvanizing in Europe (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026):
QuoteBuddy presents these figures as calibration points, not a price list: every plant has its own kettle, its own minimums and its own zinc surcharge, and the same job can draw quotes 20 to 30% apart from two galvanizers (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026).
The Institut Feuerverzinken in Düsseldorf makes the same point: the price rises as material gets thinner, because thinner steel has more surface relative to its weight and therefore takes up more zinc. Large solid beams sometimes have under 10 m² of surface per tonne, while light parts such as gratings reach 100 m² per tonne or more. Prices generally start at €250 per tonne for “very heavy” parts with little surface, a figure the institute attributes to the University of Stuttgart (source: Institut Feuerverzinken, September 2026).
The tool follows the parts, load by load, through each bath of the line, with the following times:
These times apply to a whole load, so the tool divides them by the number of parts in the load. The fuller the load, the lower the time counted per part.
Published benchmarks, for comparison. The Galvanizers Association of Australia’s manual gives pickling times of 10 to 20 minutes for clean articles, up to several hours for heavily rusted ones, and 15 to 20 seconds of spinning for baskets of small parts; immersion ranges from a few minutes for light articles to 10 minutes or longer for larger structural members (source: Galvanizers Association of Australia, July 2021). EGGA, the European General Galvanizers Association, gives a typical immersion time of about four or five minutes, longer for heavy articles with high thermal inertia (source: EGGA, January 2022).
The zinc deposited follows steel thickness: the tool counts about 3% of the part’s mass at 6 mm and over, 4% at 3 mm and 5 to 8% for thin sheet, and prices that zinc at the current zinc price. According to QuoteBuddy, the deposited zinc typically adds 3 to 6% to the mass (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026); the American Galvanizers Association reports an increase of up to 15% depending on steel type, shape, size, chemistry, surface condition and thickness, and notes that galvanizers typically quote prices according to their zinc consumption (source: American Galvanizers Association, October 2019).
Finally, the result is compared with the published market price: €0.45 to €0.90/kg in Europe, €0.90 to €1.50/kg for small parts spun in a centrifuge (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026).
Nearly every galvanizer applies a minimum per delivery, typically €150 to €300: below that value, the job pays the minimum regardless of weight (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026). On a 120 kg railing, the minimum can push the effective cost past €1.50 to €2.00 per kg; on a 150 kg job, the minimum alone can double the cost per kilo (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026). Below two or three hundred kilos, QuoteBuddy advises asking whether the galvanizing can ride along with another job on the same run (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026).
Since 4 October 2026, RFQdecoder applies this minimum. When the price calculated for a delivery is below €150, the bottom of the range published by QuoteBuddy (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026), it is raised to €150 and the quote shows it on a line labelled “subcontractor minimum order”.
Amounts vary from one galvanizer to another. In its price list for private customers, ZINQ states that in Belgium the minimum amount is €100; elsewhere, the minimum order value is given on request (source: ZINQ, September 2026).
Assumptions (chosen for illustration, not taken from a source): steel bracket 3 mm thick, 2 kg per part before galvanizing, clean steel; two orders, 20 parts in one load, then 200 parts in four loads of 50. To put the amounts in context, the calculated price is assumed to be close to the published market price.
Published values used: medium fabrication (3 to 6 mm) at €0.55 to €0.75/kg, minimum of €150 to €300 per delivery (source: QuoteBuddy, September 2026).
If the galvanizer bills on weight after galvanizing, the 16 kg of zinc on the 200 parts is billed too: 16 × 0.55 = €8.80 to 16 × 0.75 = €12.00 more, i.e. €228.80 to €312.00 for 416 kg. Transport and the surcharges below come on top.
The calculation above covers the baths, the zinc and the minimum per delivery. The following items, published by QuoteBuddy and ZINQ, depend on the part and the galvanizer; they should be requested from the supplier and added to the displayed price:
In Europe, €0.45 to €0.90/kg in 2026 according to QuoteBuddy: the bottom of the range for sections and plate of 6 mm and over, the top for light fabrication under 3 mm. Small parts spun in a centrifuge cost €0.90 to €1.50/kg. Transport, the minimum and surcharges come on top.
A floor amount charged regardless of weight, typically €150 to €300 according to QuoteBuddy. RFQdecoder raises any lower delivery price to €150 and shows it on a “subcontractor minimum order” line.
Because it has more surface per kilo and therefore takes up more zinc (Institut Feuerverzinken). RFQdecoder counts zinc at about 3% of the mass at 6 mm and over, 4% at 3 mm and 5 to 8% for thin sheet.
It depends on the galvanizer. ZINQ bills on the weight after galvanizing. According to QuoteBuddy, the deposited zinc typically adds 3 to 6% to the mass: a point to check on every quote.
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