Improve Corrosion Protection

Practical knowledge for durable metal surfaces

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Corrosion is more than just rust.
It often attacks metal components insidiously, alters fits, weakens joints, and compromises surfaces and functionality. With the right corrosion protection, you can protect your components in the long term, extend their service life, and reduce failures, Rework, and maintenance costs.

Find out now which corrosion protection solution meets your needs.

Why You Should be Concerned About Corrosion Protection

Avoid Downtime

Corrosion often occurs along edges, seams, and overlaps. Protecting these vulnerable areas early on helps prevent failures and costly consequential damage.

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Control Costs

High costs are usually caused by rework, downtime, and customer complaints. Appropriate corrosion protection makes these follow-up costs much more manageable.

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Fulfill Specifications

Corrosion protection is often a requirement specified by customers and regulations. A clean implementation reduces risks during acceptance testing, audits, and warranty claims.

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Control Lifespan

Corrosion protection affects maintenance and upkeep throughout the product lifecycle. Proper design extends the duration of protection and improves predictability.

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ISO 12944

The optimal corrosion protection is not always the strongest, but the “best fit”. To achieve this, it is essential to define the environmental conditions, consider the specific requirements of the process, and take into account the service life and maintenance intervals of the asset itself.

ISO 12944 serves as a guideline to determine the key parameters, conduct appropriate laboratory testing, and derive the suitable coating system. However, to reflect additional, process specific requirements and account for local conditions, expert support is essential – and this is where you can rely on Mankiewicz.

As the central international standard series for corrosion protection of steel structures using coating systems, ISO 12944 brings together extensive practical experience and expert knowledge, helping all stakeholders in a project define the appropriate corrosion protection.

In practice, this involves a step by step approach:

  • Define the environmental conditions
  • Consider the service life and maintenance intervals
  • Identify particularly vulnerable areas of components such as edges, gaps, and water traps
  • Define and carry out laboratory tests
  • Adapt the surface and coating system

The corrosion protection categories according to ISO 12944 describe differentiated environmental conditions, each associated with a specific level of corrosive stress. The standard fundamentally distinguishes between exposure above ground (categories C1 to CX) and exposure in water and soil (IM1 to IM4). In the next step, a category is defined based on the environmental influences, such as the presence of industrial emissions and saltwater.

 

The laboratory tests specified in the standard are aligned with the respective corrosion protection category. They include standard test methods for corrosion and moisture resistance, such as the salt spray test in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9227, as well as, for higher categories, comprehensive cyclic corrosion testing that takes into account the effects of UV exposure.

These laboratory tests are used to verify whether the selected coating system is suitable. In addition, they allow for an assessment of a coating system’s suitability when deviations from ISO 12944 have been made, for example with regard to the coating system or the surface condition.

In addition to defining the corrosion protection category, determining the service life is a key factor in achieving the “best fit” corrosion protection. For this purpose, the standard provides a classification ranging from L (low) for less than 7 years to VH (very high) for periods exceeding 25 years. It is important to note that this refers to the time until the first major maintenance intervention. Even if laboratory tests are passed, these timeframes serve only as a guideline and do not constitute a guarantee.

Determining the Corrosion Protection Class: a Brief Overview of the Project Logic

Corrosion Protection in Practice: An Overview of Industries

Effective corrosion protection is key to ensuring reliable performance and preserving value in many industries: Wherever metal is exposed to moisture, chemicals, temperature fluctuations, or cleaning processes during operation, this protection determines whether components will operate reliably for years, whether maintenance and downtime remain minimal, and whether investments are utilized economically—even in applications such as aviation, where corrosion protection concepts are designed to last for three decades.

This is exactly where we excel: We are the experts in corrosion protection—from mild to extreme conditions—not just in theory, but based on real-world experience around the globe. Drawing on extensive industrial projects and a wide range of environmental conditions, we know which protection systems truly work, which details make a difference in practice, and how to develop and implement corrosion protection that is high-performance, robust, and cost-effective. 

Utility vehicles Agricultural machinery Aviation Machinery Energy Powertrain

Utility Vehicles

In daily use, these machines are exposed to numerous mechanical and chemical influences - our coating protects them.

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Agricultural machinery

Durable coatings for maximum resistance under tough conditions – we protect what performs.

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Aviation

Coatings for exteriors, interiors and structural parts that perform at all levels: on the ground and in the air.

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Machinery

We offer diverse solutions for individual requirements - because every industry has its own demands.

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Energy

The key to modern societies: efficient paints for energy infrastructure

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Powertrain

Durable coatings increase the lifetime of vulnerable components subject to abrasion - and thus boost efficiency and performance.

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Every Good Finish Starts with Preparation

A coating will only provide reliable protection if the substrate is properly prepared. There are three key factors to consider:

  1. Cleanliness
    Oil, grease, dust, salt, or residues prevent the coating from adhering permanently.
  2. Solid Substrate
    Loose rust spots or scale act like a poor “foundation”—the coating may peel off later.
  3. Appropriate Surface Texture
    Many systems require a suitable degree of roughness so they can “anchor” effectively.

Much damage occurs not because the wrong system was chosen, but because the Preparation and application were not consistently sound.

Why Corrosion Protection Fails: 5 Common Causes

  1. Critical areas are overlooked
    A single category is applied across the board—joints, edges, and water traps are not considered separately.
  2. Details are underestimated
    Edges, weld seams, and overlaps are typical starting points.
  3. Coating thickness is not verified
    Without clear target values and measurement points, quality is left to chance.
  4. Application is not “guided”
    Substrate condition, drying, curing times, and conditions determine adhesion.
  5. Installation/transport/repair are missing
    Damage and field repairs are often the bottleneck.

Mankiewicz: Your Partner for Efficient and Innovative Coating Solutions Across Industries

For more than 125 years, Mankiewicz has stood for innovation and quality in the manufacture of high-performance coatings.

Our expertise includes tailor-made solutions for a wide variety of industries, from aerospace and general industry to medical technology.

We understand that every coating process is unique. That’s why Mankiewicz develops forward-thinking coating concepts with a team of experts from various industries, designed to meet your specific requirements precisely.

Our goal is to support you in optimizing your coating process by leveraging our extensive experience and knowledge from various markets. Sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency are our priorities.

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