Based on its maintenance-free durability for 75 years or more in most environments, hot-dip galvanized (HDG) steel has a lower economic cost and environmental impact than paint. It uses a healthy, abundant, and recyclable metal, zinc, to provide corrosion protection; therefore, it should be considered the preferred construction material for architectural and industrial applications.

To measure the sustainability of hot-dip galvanized steel and provide a basis for future improvements in life-cycle performance of zinc products, VTT Technical Research, renown for establishing environmental product declarations (EPDs) for building products, conducted life-cycle assessments (LCA) comparing a hot-dip galvanized balcony to a painted balcony.

Created in 2009 as part of a Talking Point series to educate legislators and the general public about hot-dip galvanized steel and its sustainability, this one-page case study compares a hot-dip galvanized steel balcony to a painted steel balcony in life-cycle assessment (LCA).