Bekaert Proves Bezinal® Coating is the Superior Choice for Coastal Areas

Because installing fence is an investment in time and money, it’s important to build a fence that lasts. But certain environments can be harsh on wire fencing. How can you increase the lifespan of a fence in an area like this? By choosing the right coating.

Challenge: Increase fence longevity and performance in a coastal environment

Coastal environments dramatically shorten the lifespan of a wire fence. This is because the air and soil in a coastal climate has a greater quantity of salt, which causes the rapid deterioration of steel products.

Bekaert set out to create a solution to this problem with their exclusive Bezinal® coating. Bezinal is a coating that combines zinc and aluminum. In salt spray tests, Bezinal-coated wires resisted corrosion 2 to 6 times longer in heavily corrosive areas.

The protective coating on a wire can make or break the longevity of a fence. For example, studies show a fence with the most basic type of coating (Class 1 galvanized) lasts two years or less in a coastal area.

Coatings prevent rust and corrosion because they contain an active protective barrier for the wire. Sometimes this barrier includes additional metals, like zinc and aluminum. The barrier will wear down first to protect the steel wire underneath.

On the coast, the most corrosion-resistant coatings available are needed. The reason Bezinal is so effective compared to hot-dip zinc galvanized wires is because of the zinc aluminum combination. The aluminum oxides create a high-quality coating layer that can withstand harsh elements and not deteriorate the wire.

Approach: Put coatings to a real-life test

Bekaert conducted a real-life field test that compared Class 3 Galvanized (zinc) to two Bezinal coating options: standard Bezinal and full-coat Bezinal.

The goal: Confirm Bezinal as the better coating option for wire fencing installed in a coastal environment.

Numerous laboratory tests prove the effectiveness of Bezinal, but Bekaert wanted to conduct further research in an actual coastal setting. To do so, they installed three fences with different coatings on a ranch about three miles from the Gulf Coast near Port Mansfield, Texas. 

Here is a breakdown of the three fences installed:

The first fence was a 9 ga S knot wire fence with 6 ga edge wires with a Class 3 coating of zinc. This is a very common coating choice. However, the typical life of a Class 3 fence on the coast is less than seven years.

The second fence Bekaert installed was a 12.5 ga fixed knot wire fence with a Bezinal (zinc and aluminum) Class 40 coating.

And the third fence was a 12.5 ga fixed knot with a full coat Bezinal Class 80 coating.

Results: Bezinal coating outperforms Class 3 coating

Now that the project is five years in, the fences are showing one key takeaway:

Class 3 coating is not the ideal coating choice for coastal areas if fence longevity and performance is the goal.

Since being installed five years ago, both Bezinal-coated fences show minimal to no signs of rusting. The Class 3 fence, however, has a significant amount of red rust on both sides of the fence. The zinc coating that is left is transparent with the steel surface underneath starting to show.

Once the coating on the wire starts to break down, so does the wire and fence. The longevity of a fence is reduced and the wire becomes brittle.

There was a noticeable difference even one year after installation. When the Fence Pros checked the fences after the first year, the Class 3 wire was whitening and pitting while both Bezinal-coated fences were not.

By year two, the zinc-coated fence was showing signs of rust, the coating was starting to peel off and the fence felt rough to the touch. Both Bezinal-coated fences showed little to no whitening or pitting and remained smooth to the touch.

Bekaert has visited the test site annually to document and photograph the fences. Here is a breakdown of what their observations were each year.

Rust