Steel Rust Prevention: Matching Duration and Requirements

If the steel workpieces do not undergo anti-rust treatment during processing, storage, and transportation, the steel will rust quickly. The kinds of steel rust prevention products on the market are various; how to choose a suitable anti-rust product based on rust-prevention periods, application, and cost is a major problem that many steel manufacturers face.

3 levels of anti-rust requirements

Different steels and different applications have large differences in rust prevention requirements. The anti-rust requirements can be divided into 3 levels:

• Short-term anti-rust (several weeks to several months): it's suitable for inter-process rust prevention for metals, like steel, and the short storage and transport of the final steel products.
• Middle-term rust prevention (1-3 years): it's suitable for steel products that need to go through a long transport period or exposure to the outside environment.
• Long-term rust preventive period (over 10 years): it's suitable for final rust and corrosion inhibition products, such as steel structures exposed to outdoor industrial environments in marine climates for extended periods.

 

 

The types and features of steel rust prevention agents

The mainstream anti-rust products can be divided into: oil-soluble anti-rust additives, traditional water-soluble rust-prevention agents, and modern water-soluble anti-rust additives.

Oil-soluble rust prevention agents

Oil-soluble rust preventive inhibitors are divided into soft film rust inhibitors and hard rust inhibitors oils.

Soft film rust inhibitors are composed of mineral oils (such as kerosene, diesel, engine oil), oil-soluble rust prevention additives (such as Barium petroleum sulfonate, aluminum stearate), and other additives, which are easy to operate, and the indoor anti-rust period can last 2-3 months.

 

Hard-film anti-rust oil is produced by dissolving organic resins (such as alkyd or epoxy resins) in organic solvents (such as xylene or acetone). It offers long-lasting rust protection and is suitable for harsh conditions, including outdoor industrial and marine environments.

 

It can only be applied by spraying or brushing and is unsuitable for large-scale indoor steel rust preventive applications; solvent evaporation poses significant risks to human health and the environment; and it entails high costs and a heavy workload.

Traditional water-soluble steel rust prevention inhibitors

Traditional water-soluble rust inhibitors like sodium nitrite and dichromates are easy to operate, and they are suitable for short-term rust prevention in inner processes, and the rust prevention period can last 20 days. But they are toxic and harmful to environment that have been updated.

 

Modern steel water-soluble anti-rust agents

Nowadays, environmentally friendly water-soluble rust prevention additives have become the mainstream.

Safe and environmentally friendly: non-flammable and no-toxic that complies with environmental regulations.

Ease of application: Suitable for in-line steel rust preventive processing and can be applied via various methods, such as dipping, spraying, or brushing;

No removal required: The resulting protective film is thin yet dense and preserves the steel's natural color, allowing users to proceed directly to the next stage of processing;

Cost-effective: Low treatment costs and outstanding overall economic benefits;

Flexible rust protection duration: The protection period can be extended from 1–2 months to over 6 months by adjusting the application method and number of coats.

The core comparison among 3 types of rust prevention agents.

 

The application of water-soluble steel rust prevention additives under different scenarios

1. In-process steel rust prevention and short-term transport and storage
2. Long-term steel storage and overseas transportation
3. As for the steels that need to be stored for over 6 months or overseas, it's recommended to adopt dipping methods. When necessary, it needs a second dipping that can form a thick, dense protective film on the steel surface, and the rust-preventive period can last for 6 months.
4. For steel that requires outdoor storage for more than one year or is used as the ultimate anti-corrosion product, taking a water-soluble rust-preventive method is useful. Water-based paints contain anti-rust and passivating pigments, and the resulting coating thickness rivals that of organic coatings, delivering excellent performance; furthermore, they avoid the safety and environmental issues associated with traditional solvent-based coatings and can serve as a substitute for conventional hard-film anti-rust oils.

 

Chorus-different steel rust prevention period additives recommended

Chorus is a professional additive manufacturer in China; we can provide you with different excellent performance additives, including rust-preventive agents, corrosion inhibitors, and the corresponding lubricant oil additive packages.

Based on different rust requirements and applications, we can provide you with different rust-prevention inhibitors; for example, we can supply you with barium dinonylnaphthalene sulfonate that can satisfy your short-term steel rust-prevention requirements. In the same rust-preventive formulation, it can replace barium sulfonate as an oil-soluble additive.

Chorus-2100 rust inhibitor is suitable for short-term, medium-term, and indoor rust protection during storage. It safeguards metal parts throughout manufacturing, assembly, and in-plant storage, making it a high-performance rust-preventive additive ideal for use between processing stages.

 

In addition, Chorus can also provide you with water-based rust preventive agents, used for metalworking rust prevention and other metals in-process corrosion inhibiting.

Contact us for more information and favorable price.