General Roughness
Also called: rough coating · orange peel
Appearance
Uniformly coarse, textured coating over large areas rather than isolated particles.
Root cause
Over-pickled or coarse steel surface, reactive chemistry, high bath temperature, or excessive coating thickness on slow-drained work.
Acceptance verdict
The standard's own words settle this one: surface smoothness is a relative term, and minor roughness that does not interfere with the intended use is not grounds for rejection — dross pimples, roughness inherited from the as-received steel surface, and reactive-chemistry roughness are all named examples. Abrasive-blasted steel is expected to come out thicker and moderately rougher. The exception runs through fitness again: roughness on work headed for paint or powder coat is settled by agreement between galvanizer and purchaser, because there the surface IS the function.
Same logic with an injury test on top: surfaces are to be free of roughness and sharp points only where they can cause injury, the standard says outright that roughness is a relative term — galvanized fabrications are not sheet or wire and do not get judged against them — and surface unevenness is expressly not a cause for rejection.
This is the question the standards actually answer — describe the defect, then decide: accept, repair, or reject.
Repairable?
Not an A780 repair case. Address it at the process, not with a patch — see the remedies below.
Remedy at the plant
Pickling control, bath temperature discipline.
Remedy at design
Where finish matters (architectural), specify steel chemistry and discuss finish expectations with the galvanizer up front.
Clause references
- ASTM A123/A123M-24
- ISO 1461:2022
Standard designations are the property of ASTM International and ISO. This page states the acceptance outcome for this condition — it reproduces no standard text or tables. Verify against the current edition at astm.org · iso.org.