Galvanised steel or galvanisation is a process in which steel is bathed or coated in zinc to prevent rusting. The most common method is known as hot dip galvanising where steel parts are dipped in a bath of molten zinc.
Zinc then acts as a sacrificial anode – a protective barrier that prevents corrosive chemicals to penetrate into the steel component by sacrificing itself first, as zinc will corrode first before anything reaches the steel part.