Designation: A1059/A1059M − 08 (Reapproved 2013)

Standard Specification for

Zinc Alloy Thermo-Diffusion Coatings (TDC) on Steel
Fasteners, Hardware, and Other Products1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation A1059/A1059M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the
year of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last
reapproval. A superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope Iron and Steel Articles with Zinc or Zinc-Alloy Coatings

1.1 This specification covers the general requirements for A385 Practice for Providing High-Quality Zinc Coatings
protective zinc coatings (hereinafter referred to as the coatings) (Hot-Dip)
to be applied by the thermo-diffusion coating (TDC) method, A700 Practices for Packaging, Marking, and Loading Meth-
to various products made of carbon steel, including low and ods for Steel Products for Shipment
high tensile parts as well as of wrought iron, sintered iron A902 Terminology Relating to Metallic Coated Steel Prod-
steel-powder and various steel and stainless alloys. TDC is ucts
carried out by immersing the parts in a zinc alloy powder at B487 Test Method for Measurement of Metal and Oxide
elevated temperature for a period of time, causing a metallur- Coating Thickness by Microscopical Examination of
gical diffusion process of zinc and iron. Further processing Cross Section
may be added, such as, passivation, topcoat application, paint D521 Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Zinc Dust
application, etc. (Metallic Zinc Powder)
D6386 Practice for Preparation of Zinc (Hot-Dip Galva-
1.2 This specification is applicable to orders in either nized) Coated Iron and Steel Product and Hardware
inch-pound units (as A1059) or in SI units (as A1059M). Surfaces for Painting
Inch-pound units and SI units are not necessarily exact E376 Practice for Measuring Coating Thickness by
equivalents. Within the text of this specification and where Magnetic-Field or Eddy-Current (Electromagnetic) Test-
appropriate, SI units are shown in brackets. Each system shall ing Methods
be used independently of the other without combining values in F1789 Terminology for F16 Mechanical Fasteners
any way. In the case of orders in SI units, all testing and F2329 Specification for Zinc Coating, Hot-Dip, Require-
inspection shall be done using the metric equivalent of the test ments for Application to Carbon and Alloy Steel Bolts,
or inspection method as appropriate. In the case of orders in Screws, Washers, Nuts, and Special Threaded Fasteners
inch-pound units, such shall be stated to the applicator when F2674 Specification for Zinc Coating, Hot-Dip, Require-
the order is placed. ments for Application to Carbon and Alloy Steel Bolts,
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the Screws, Washers, Nuts, and Special Threaded Fasteners
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the [Metric] (Withdrawn 2011)3
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- 3. Terminology
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. 3.1 The following terms and definitions are specific to this
specification. Terminology A902 contains other terms and
2. Referenced Documents definitions relating to metallic-coated steel products. Terminol-
2.1 ASTM Standards:2 ogy F1789 contains other terms and definitions relating to
A90/A90M Test Method for Weight [Mass] of Coating on mechanical fasteners.
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
1
3.2.1 thermo-diffusion coating—a process where the steel
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee A05 on
Metallic-Coated Iron and Steel Products and is the direct responsibility of product is heated in close contact with zinc powder or zinc
Subcommittee A05.13 on Structural Shapes and Hardware Specifications. mixture.
Current edition approved May 1, 2013. Published May 2013. Originally
approved in 2008. Last previous edition approved in 2008 as A1059/A1059M–08.
3.2.2 thermo-diffusion coating—a coating made by thermo-
DOI: 10.1520/A1059_A1059M-08R13. diffusion coating process, consisting of zinc/iron alloys.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
3
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on
the ASTM website. www.astm.org.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States

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 A1059/A1059M − 08 (2013)
3.2.3 zinc powder—the coating material used to provide 5.1.4 The products (parts) containing soft solder or resins
corrosion protection to steel. can not be coated with zinc.
3.2.4 zinc mixture—a combination of zinc powder and other 5.1.5 For Fasteners—The maximum deviations of threads
metallic materials to be used as a coating material in the TDC prior to application of the coating shall comply with the
process. standards for threads. An additional gap for the coating for
external and internal threads separately or for both threads at
4. Ordering Information the same time, is to be provided, if the coating with increased
4.1 Orders for coatings provided under this specification thickness is to be applied. Requirements for fasteners to be
shall include the following: thermal diffusion coated with zinc are found in Specifications
4.1.1 Quantity (number of pieces to be coated) and total F2329 and F2674.
weight. 5.2 Requirements for material and surface of substrate:
4.1.2 Description (type and size of products) and weight. 5.2.1 This is applied to products of standard-quality carbon
4.1.3 ASTM specification designation and year of issue. steel, high-quality structural carbon and low-carbon steel, as
4.1.4 Material identification (see 5.1) and surface condition well as low-alloyed steel, stainless steels, pig iron and copper.
or contamination. 5.2.2 The following defects are not allowed on the surfaces
4.1.5 Sampling plan, if different from Section 8. of the parts:
4.1.6 Special test requirements, if different from Section 9 5.2.2.1 Rolled-in scale, burrs;
(see 9.1). 5.2.2.2 Separation into layers and cracks including those
4.1.7 Special requirements (special stacking, heavier coat- arising from pickling, polishing and other treatment;
ing weight, etc.). 5.2.2.3 Corrosion damages, pores, and holes.
4.1.8 Tagging or piece identification method. 5.2.3 The surfaces of cast and forged products shall be free
4.2 Additional Information—Additional information may be of blow and shrink holes, slag, and flux contamination.
required in certain circumstances. In these cases the purchaser 5.2.4 The surfaces of the parts of hot-rolled metal shall be
will furnish the applicator with the following additional infor- cleaned from scale, pickling sludge, products of corrosion of
mation: the base metal, and other contamination.
4.2.1 Any likely effects on the metallurgical properties of 5.2.5 After machining, the surfaces of the parts shall be free
the base material caused by processing temperatures of up to of visible layer of grease, emulsion, metallic chips, burrs, dust
1092°F [500°C]. and products of corrosion, and implantation of foreign metal
4.2.2 Determination of areas considered as significant sur- particles.
faces. This should be done by drawings or by providing 5.2.6 Sharp corners and edges of the products except for
samples with suitable markings. those required for technological reasons shall be machined to a
4.2.3 Any critical thickness tolerances, such as when bolts radius of at least 0.001 in. [0.3 mm].
and nuts are used. This should be done on the product’s 5.2.7 After heat treatment, the surfaces of the parts shall be
drawing or on the purchase order. free of blow holes, corrosion centers, separation into layers,
4.2.4 Any special pre-treatment requirements or the exis- and buckling.
tence of other materials, lubricants, stripping materials, pre- 5.2.8 Welds, soldered and brazed joints on the parts shall be
existing corrosion, etc. scraped bright and continuous over the whole perimeter.
4.2.5 Whether quality certificate is required or not. 5.2.9 Prior to applying the coating, the surface of the part
shall be degreased (chemically or thermally), cleaned by
5. Materials and Manufacture pickling or abrasive blasting.
5.2.10 The degree of cleanness of the surface shall be in
5.1 Requirements to design of the products to be coated
accordance with Practice D6386.
with zinc are detailed in Practice A385. The following provi-
5.2.11 The term for storage of the parts with the surface
sions are necessary to produce a high quality coating.
prepared for coating with zinc shall not exceed 24 hours under
5.1.1 The products to be coated with zinc include parts and
conditions excluding the precipitation of a condensate.
assemblies of various sizes: presswork, forged, cast, machined
5.2.12 For applying coatings, the zinc powder with humid-
products (nuts, washers, bolts, nails, chains, small round
ity of not more than 1.5 % in accordance with Test Methods
billets, blanks for plumbing fixtures, etc.). When coating is
D521 shall be used.
applied to long-length parts (pipes, rods), the appropriate
production equipment is required. 6. Chemical Composition
5.1.2 The products shall have neither pockets nor closed
cavities. All cavities shall be available for applying the coating 6.1 The method described results in the formation of iron-
of diffusion mixture. Should it be impossible to apply the zinc compound layers known as Gamma (Solid Zn ions inside
coating to individual portions of surface of the article, the Fe substrate), Delta (Fe11Zn40), and Zeta (FeZn7), excluding
documents shall specify if the coating is allowed to be absent the external Eta layer of pure free zinc.
in these cavities. 6.2 The zinc mixture used in the thermo-diffusion coating
5.1.3 The fasteners to be coated with zinc shall meet the process shall contain a mass fraction not less than 94 % of
requirements of standards in force, for the fasteners, and metallic zinc and total impurities (other than Zinc oxide) of not
accompanied with certificates from manufacturers. more than 2 % mass fraction.

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 A1059/A1059M − 08 (2013)
6.3 It should be noted that there is evidence this coating is 9. Number of Tests and Retests
subject to premature red staining in atmospheric and acceler- 9.1 The zinc coating applied shall be tested for appearance
ated test environments; however, this staining has been found and thickness.
not to be associated with corrosion of the substrate steel, but
rather superficial oxidation of the zinc/iron ions present on the 9.2 Each lot of parts coated with zinc shall be presented for
surface. testing. A lot shall be considered as a group of articles of the
same type and size coated with zinc within the same production
7. Workmanship, Finish, and Appearance cycle.
7.1 Appearance of the coating: 9.3 Approximately 10 % of articles per lot and each article
7.1.1 The coating shall be flat gray, smooth, and reasonably in case of single-unit production shall be examined for appear-
uniform. Smoothness of surface is a relative term. Minor ance.
roughness that does not interfere with the intended use of the 9.4 At least three articles per lot shall be tested for thickness
part, or roughness that is related to the as-received (un-coated) of the coating.
surface condition of the part, shall not be grounds for rejection.
9.5 When using the metallographic (arbitration) method, it
7.1.2 The coating shall be free of swellings, blow holes,
is allowed to test the coating thickness on one part per lot.
cuts, flaking, and embedded quartz sand.
7.1.3 The presence of dark gray spots (variation in the color 9.6 The coating thickness shall be tested prior to the
of the coating without variation in its thickness) not more than additional treatment of the coating (applying preservation
5 % of the total surface of the product is allowed on the lubricants, etc.). This measurement shall be taken on a non-
coating. threaded section of the part.
7.1.4 The presence of surface scratches, marks from contact 9.7 The coating thickness on the threaded portion of a bolt
of the part with one another, contact with measuring tools, etc., shall not be tested but shall be ensured by the correctness of the
without damage to the coating, which would cause exposure of coating application technology. When developing the coating
the base metal, is allowed. process it is recommended to take into account the ISO
7.1.5 The presence of residual process mixture on the requirements for threaded fasteners.
surface of the part is not allowed.
9.8 The checked thickness of the coating shall be accepted
7.1.6 The thickness of the coating depending on the condi-
as an arithmetical mean of the measured values.
tions of operations of the product shall be specified in the
standards of specification for the product in accordance with 9.9 Should the results of the measuring of the test control be
Table 1. unsatisfactory, the test shall be repeated on double quantity of
parts.
8. Sampling
10. Specimen Preparation
8.1 Test specimens shall be selected randomly from each
inspection lot. 10.1 Specimens for testing should not go through any
cleaning process and should be tested as is after the final
8.2 The method of selection and sample size shall be agreed coating process (including passivation and or other top coats).
upon between the applicator and the purchaser. Otherwise, the
sample size selected from each lot shall be as follows: 11. Test Methods
Batch Size (Pieces) Sample Size
1 to 3 All
11.1 Coating appearance check: The coating appearance
4 to 500 3 shall be checked visually with an unaided eye from the distance
501 to 1200 5 of 10 in. [25 cm] from the surface. The luminance shall be at
1201 to 3200 8
3201 to 10 000 13
least 300Lx.
Above 10 000 20 11.2 Coating thickness testing:

TABLE 1 Thickness or Weight [Mass] of Zinc Coating for Various Coating Classes
Coating Class Weight [Mass] of Coating, oz/ft2 (g/m2) of Coating Thickness, mils (µm), Minimum
Surface, Minimum
130 3.02 (922) 5.14 (130)
110 2.50 (765) 4.33 (110)
90 2.05 (627) 3.54 (90)
80 1.82 (557) 3.15 ( 80)
70 1.59 (487) 2.76 (70)
65 1.48 (453) 2.56 (65)
55 1.25 (383) 2.17 (55)
50 1.14 (348) 1.97 (50)
45 1.02 (313) 1.77 (45)
40 0.91 (278) 1.57 (40)
25 0.57 (174) 0.98 (25)
12 0.27 (84) 0.47 (12)

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11.2.1 Magnetic Method: before and after applying the coating and then before and
11.2.1.1 The method is based on the registration of variation removing the coating in accordance with Test Method A90/
in the magnetic resistance depending on the coating thickness A90M.
in accordance with Practice E376. The magnetic thickness
gauges shall be used as measuring instruments. 12. Certification
11.2.1.2 The arithmetic mean of at least three measured 12.1 When specified in the purchase order or contract, the
values at edges and center of the surface of one article to be purchaser shall be furnished certification that samples repre-
controlled shall be considered as the result of the coating senting each inspection lot have been either tested or inspected
thickness measurement. as directed by this specification and the requirements have been
11.2.2 Metallographic Method (Arbitration) —The method met. When specified in the purchase order or contract, a report
is based on the measurement of the coating thickness on the of the test results shall be furnished.
cross-section metallographic specimen using metallographic
microscopes of various types in accordance with Test Method 13. Packaging and Package Marking
B487. The specimen shall be cut from a coated article. The
thickness of the zinc coating shall be measured on the 13.1 Unless specified otherwise by the customer in the
specimen at least at five point located at equal distances within purchase order, the coated products shall be packaged, trans-
a linear area with the length of about 0.4 in. [1 cm]. The ported and stored in accordance with Practices A700.
arithmetic mean of all measured values shall be considered as
the result. 14. Keywords
11.2.3 Gravimetric Method—The gravimetric method shall 14.1 coatings, zinc; fasteners, zinc coated; iron products,
be used for determining the mean thickness of the coating. The zinc coated; steel hardware, zinc coated; steel products, metal-
method consists of weighing the representative specimens lic coated; zinc coatings, steel products

APPENDIX

(Nonmandatory Information)

X1. COATING CHARACTERISTICS

X1.1 The thermo diffusion zinc coating is anodic in relation X1.7 The coating obtained shall follow exactly the contours
to ferrous metals and provides for electrochemical protection of the article, its thickness shall be very uniform over the whole
of steel against corrosion. surface of the part including complex-shaped articles (threaded
connections, etc.).
X1.2 Thermo diffusion results in a hard surface, usually
exceeding 35 Rockwell C, depending on coating parameters. X1.8 When applying the coating, the part shall be placed in
a container. Since the size of the parts is restricted by the size
X1.3 Thermo diffusion does not create hydrogen embrittle- of the container, the appropriate size container must be used.
ment X1.9 The coating has strong adhesion to base metal due to
mutual diffusion of zinc and iron. Zinc penetrates the base
X1.4 Due to some porosity on the surface of the coating, metal to about 1⁄3 of the coating thickness.
thermo diffusion coated parts have excellent bonding charac-
teristics with various topcoats and paint system. X1.10 The coating consists mainly of the iron-zinc δ1-phase
containing 4 to 10 % of iron.
X1.5 The thermo-diffusion zinc coating is obtained by
X1.11 Due to the presence of iron in the coating, red stains
heating the parts in a container with the diffusion mixture or brown spots may appear on the surface of the coated article
consisting of zinc powder and some alloying elements. The under the influence of increased humidity or condensate. It is
working temperatures of applying the coating normally range caused by the release of iron ions from the coating. These ions
between 710°F to 1092°F [320°C to 500°C]. are washed away easily by water
X1.6 Since the coating application process has a sufficiently X1.12 Should it be impossible to distinguish the corrosion
long duration, the thermo diffusion coating with zinc can be products of the coating and that of base metal, the presence of
used for parts made of materials that do not change their the coating shall be checked by metallographic method and
properties at these temperatures. mass loss testing.

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