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Zinc spray for galvanised steel

Updated: 16 October 2026

A strimmer has flicked a chip out of a galvanised gate, you have left a bright cut on a post, or a weld has burnt the coating back to steel. Zinc spray for galvanised steel is the small-patch repair for that spot. You keep the sound galvanising and stop when the area is no longer small. The [zinc spray comparison](/hub/occupational-safety-accessories/zinc-spray) is the brand and price table. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team, using the Galvanizers Association, Wedge Group, and Highland Galvanizers, read on 15 October 2026. No laboratory test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A strimmer has flicked a chip out of a galvanised gate, you have left a bright cut on a post, or a weld has burnt the coating back to steel. Zinc spray for galvanised steel is the small-patch repair for that spot.

Our top picks

Motip Motip M04059 alu-zinc spray, pack of 2

Best overall

Motip Motip M04059 alu-zinc spray, pack of 2
9.4/10about £32.68
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Hycote Hycote XUK207 zinc primer, pack of 2

Best value

Hycote Hycote XUK207 zinc primer, pack of 2
9.0/10about £19.12
View offer
Motip Motip M04061 zinc spray 400 ml

Rank 3

Motip Motip M04061 zinc spray 400 ml
8.6/10about £8.96
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On this page
  1. 1.What counts as a small repair
  2. 2.How the repair is built
  3. 3.Which kept listing even states a zinc figure
  4. 4.A bright silver spray and a second weld

What counts as a small repair

A small repair is a chip, a cut end, or a weld burn on steel that was galvanised already. You clean only the damaged spot and leave the sound coating, because that coating is still doing the job it was dipped for. A bright corner on an otherwise grey gate is the case for a can. A bare leaf is not. Wedge Group's 2022 guide puts the practical limit at about 10 square centimetres for one area, and about 0.5 percent of the surface in total. Past that, regalvanise unless the supply chain agrees a repair. A postage-stamp chip can sit inside 10 square centimetres. A rail ground bright along half its length cannot. A whole gate belongs on zinc spray versus hot-dip galvanising.

How the repair is built

Wire-brush the damaged spot and keep the brush off the sound coating around it. The Galvanizers Association describes that preparation, then zinc-rich paint, ideally at least 80 percent zinc by weight, built to about 100 micrometres unless an overcoat or a lower repair has been agreed. Highland Galvanizers' reading of the 2022 change matches that, and the paint still has to give sacrificial protection. One aerosol pass is not a measured 100 micrometres. None of the amazon.co.uk files in this set prints a dry-film thickness. ZG-90, outside this set, prints about 30 micrometres from one pass. You do not have to blast a postage-stamp chip to Sa 2½. If the chip is oily, degrease it first. Shake, distance, and the nozzle clear sit on how to use zinc spray.
Motip Motip M04059 alu-zinc spray, pack of 2

Testsieger

Motip Motip M04059 alu-zinc spray, pack of 2
9.4/10about £32.68
View offer

Which kept listing even states a zinc figure

Hycote's amazon.co.uk line is over 60 percent zinc metal in the dry coating, under the Association's 80 percent idea, so it is a primer figure. Motip's own page states more than 90 percent zinc share, and the Amazon listing does not print it. The alu-zinc Motip bullets name galvanised steel and print 250°C, without a zinc percentage. Simoniz and OB41 print no percentage either. Buy on the zinc figure you can verify, not on the shine. If you will weld afterwards, fume control comes first. A large burnt area goes back to the galvaniser.

A bright silver spray and a second weld

A bright silver spray can match new galvanising and still fail the protection test. ZG-90, outside this set, is stated as non-conductive. Protection here is zinc content, contact with the steel, and thickness towards 100 micrometres. If you will weld that steel again, fume control comes first. A spot-weldable claim does not remove that duty.

Common questions

Can you touch up a chip without stripping the whole gate?
Yes, when the rest of the galvanising is still sound. Clean the damaged spot, wire-brush loose material there, and leave the coating around it. The Galvanizers Association treats zinc-rich paint as the repair for that small area. A chip, a cut end, or a weld burn is the job. A bare gate is a different job.
How thick should the repair be?
Aim for about 100 micrometres of zinc-rich paint, the minimum the Galvanizers Association gives unless an overcoat or an agreed lower repair changes it. Ideally the paint is at least 80 percent zinc by weight. One aerosol pass is not that thickness, and these listings do not print a dry-film figure.
How big can the bare patch be before you stop spraying?
Wedge Group's 2022 guide to EN ISO 1461 puts one area at about 10 square centimetres, and the total repair at about 0.5 percent of the surface. Past that, regalvanise unless the supply chain agrees a repair. A postage-stamp chip can fit. A rail ground bright along half its length cannot.
Is over 60 percent zinc enough for this repair?
Hycote's listing states over 60 percent zinc metal in the dry coating, under the 80 percent figure in the Galvanizers Association renovation note. Use that as a primer figure, not as a match for the repair percentage. Motip's own page states more than 90 percent zinc share, and the Amazon listing does not print it. OB41 and Simoniz state no percentage.
Do you have to blast the chip to Sa 2½?
The Association's site method for a small repair is a wire brush and zinc-rich paint, not a blast of the whole article. Sa 2½ comes from industrial notes on zinc-rich primers. A postage-stamp chip is a hand job: loose rust off, grease off, sound galvanising left alone. If the damage is large, the brush and the can are the wrong tools.
Will a bright silver spray match new galvanising and still protect?
It can match the colour and still fail the protection test. ZG-90, outside this set, is stated as non-conductive, with about 30 micrometres from one pass. Protection here is zinc content, contact with the steel, and thickness towards 100 micrometres. Colour is a separate choice.
What if the damage is from welding and you will weld again?
You can repair a weld burn as a small patch when the area rules still hold, using zinc-rich paint on a clean surface. If you will weld that steel again, fume control comes first. A spot-weldable claim on a can does not remove that duty. A large burnt area goes back to the galvaniser.

Related pages

Zinc spray buying guide

Zinc spray

Best zinc spray UK: the listing that fits your job

How to use zinc spray: clean steel, then thin coats

Zinc spray vs galvanising: a site can or a hot dip

Sources

Public sources named in the research digest. Shelf prices and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk saved listings for these five ASINs, not a live re-check on 16 October 2026.

  1. Galvanizers Association — Repair of galvanized steel (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Galvanizers Association — Galvanized coating repair and renovation (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Health and Safety Executive — Health risks of welding (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Health and Safety Executive — Mild steel welding fume (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Motip — Zinc spray (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Hycote — Zinc primer technical sheet (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Institute of Corrosion — Ask the expert (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. CLP Regulation, Annex III — hazard statements including H222 (retrieved 16 October 2026)