The two methods used in this study to estimate the cost of corrosion to the United States are based on: (1) the cost
of corrosion control methods and services, and (2) corrosion costs of specific industry sectors. Past studies have
indicated that the second method is more likely to incorporate the majority of the major corrosion-related costs and
the first method is likely to miss the significant cost of corrosion management, the cost for direct services related to
the owner/operator, and the cost of loss of capital due to corrosion.
Method 1 – Corrosion Control Methods and Services
With this method, the annual direct cost of corrosion was estimated by adding the cost of corrosion control methods
and services. The corrosion control methods that were considered include protective coatings, corrosion-resistant
alloys, corrosion inhibitors, polymers, anodes, cathodic protection, and corrosion control and monitoring equipment.
Other contributors to the total annual direct cost that were reviewed in this report are contract services
(i.e., non-owner/operator services), corrosion research and development, and education and training.
Protective Coatings – Both organic and metallic coatings are used to provide
protection against corrosion of metallic substrates. These metallic substrates,
mostly carbon steel, will corrode in the absence of the coating, resulting in the
reduction of the service life of the steel part or component. The total annual
cost for organic and metallic protective coatings is $108.6 billion (see details
below).
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau, the total
amount of organic coating material sold in the United States in 1997 was 5.56 billion L (1.47 billion gal), at a cost of
$16.56 billion. The total sales can be broken down into architectural coatings, product Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEM) coatings, special-purpose coatings, and miscellaneous paint products. A portion of each of
these was classified as corrosion coatings at a total estimate of $6.7 billion. It is important to note that raw material
cost is only a portion of a total coating application project, ranging from 4 to 20 percent of the total cost of