Alloying for Corrosion Resistance

Neither alloying additions nor impurities significantly affect the corrosion resistance of zinc under normal conditions. Additions of antimony in amounts of 0.03 to 0.07 % do tend to increase the corrosion rate of zinc in atmospheric environments, while copper in amounts less than 0.06% may increase the corrosion resistance of zinc. Variations in the content of lead, cadmium and iron, on the other hand, have little affect on the corrosion resistance of zinc.