A salt export terminal on the Arabian Gulf contacted us in early 2025 with a problem their maintenance log had already answered: painted steel ramps do not last in a salt yard. Their previous units had rusted through the coating at every weld seam, handrail post and lip hinge within about three years. The site loads bagged and bulk salt into containers daily, the air carries airborne chloride year-round, and the yard floods occasionally during spring tides. They asked for a fleet that would survive the environment, not just the first winter. The result was twelve hot-dip galvanized ramps delivered in two batches. Here is the breakdown.
Why Chloride Destroys Painted Steel in a Salt Yard
Salt handling is one of the most aggressive environments dock equipment can live in. Airborne chloride settles on every horizontal surface, dissolves in morning condensation, and works through paint films at scratch points and welds. Once chlorides reach bare steel, corrosion runs faster than in a normal industrial yard because salt is hygroscopic — it keeps the surface damp even in dry weather. Coating engineers classify this atmosphere as C5; at salt terminals close to the water line it can reach CX, the highest class in ISO 9223. A painted ramp specified for a C3 warehouse yard has no business sitting there. We told the client plainly: the fix is not thicker paint. It is hot-dip galvanizing, because zinc protects steel both as a barrier and sacrificially — zinc corrodes first, at roughly 1/10 to 1/25 the rate of steel.
The Equipment Package: Twelve Ramps, Three Types
The terminal operates a mixed fleet of forklifts and handles three distinct jobs: ground-to-trailer loading of bagged salt, ground-to-container loading at the depot next door, and dock-height transfers at the covered shed. We split the order accordingly.
| Unit type | Qty | Capacity | Overall size (L × W) | Job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galvanized hydraulic yard ramp (HRHG type) | 6 | 10 t / 22,000 lb | 10,300 × 2,200 mm (33’10” × 87 in) | Ground-to-trailer bagged salt |
| Galvanized container ramp (HRCN-C type) | 4 | 10 t / 22,000 lb | 7,500 × 2,200 mm (24’7″ × 87 in) | Container destuffing at depot |
| Galvanized dock ramp (heavy HRHG type) | 2 | 20 t / 44,000 lb | 11,500 × 2,400 mm (37’9″ × 94.5 in) | Shed dock to heavy trailer fleet |
All twelve units share the same structural recipe: Q345B main beams, 5 mm (0.2 in) checkered steel deck, 200 mm (8 in) guard rails both sides, solid tyred tow bars for repositioning, and double hydraulic cylinders with a hand pump — the client chose manual hydraulics because the yard already runs plenty of plant power and wanted no charging dependency.
The Galvanizing Spec: What We Actually Deliver
“Galvanized” is a word too many suppliers use loosely. Our specification was hot-dip galvanizing after fabrication, to AS/NZS 4680 / ISO 1461, which for steel sections over 6 mm (0.24 in) thick requires a minimum mean coating of 85 µm (about 600 g/m²). Every weld was finished before dipping so the zinc covers the whole weld line — spot touch-up after galvanizing never looks as good or lasts as long. Vents were drilled into closed sections so molten zinc flows through the inside of tubes and box beams, which is where painted frames usually rot first.
How long does that last? Per AS 4312 / AS 2312.2 life-to-first-maintenance data for HDG600 coatings: about 20–40 years in a C4 industrial coastal environment, 10–20 years in C5, and 3–10 years in the extreme CX class. A salt yard with tide flooding sits between C5 and CX, so we gave the client a realistic expectation of 10–15 years to first maintenance, versus the 2–3 year repaint cycles they were living with.
Cost, Lead Time and Container Loading
Guidance figures, not a quote: a 10-ton galvanized hydraulic yard ramp of this spec runs roughly USD 12,500–14,500 EXW Foshan, against about USD 11,000–12,500 for the identical painted unit — galvanizing adds roughly 10–15%. The twelve units shipped in twelve 40’HC containers (one ramp per container, since the 2,200 mm frame width leaves only about 76 mm clearance each side of a 40’HC’s 2,352 mm internal width). Production took 30 days; ocean freight to the Gulf added about four weeks. Total landed equipment cost came in well under two fixed concrete dock pits with hydraulic levelers, and the client can relocate or resell every ramp if the layout changes.
How the Fleet Has Held Up After 18 Months
We asked for photos at the 18-month mark. The verdict from site: no rust breakthrough, no coating failure at welds, and the only cosmetic change is the dull grey patina zinc naturally forms — which is the zinc working, not failing. Two items needed attention, both shared by any heavy-duty ramp: lip hinge pins greased on the quarterly schedule, and one deck panel replaced after a forklift dropped a loaded pallet corner-first. The client has since ordered two more galvanized ramps for their second terminal. That repeat order tells the story better than any coating datasheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does hot-dip galvanizing last at a salt terminal?
In a C5 coastal-salt atmosphere, AS 4312 data gives HDG600 coatings 10–20 years to first maintenance; extreme CX sites shorten that to 3–10 years. Plan on a decade at a working salt yard, versus 2–3 years between repaints for painted steel.
Can galvanized ramps be touched up after damage?
Yes. Use a zinc-rich cold galvanizing paint on scratch areas down to bare steel. Small mechanical damage does not spread the way it does on painted frames, because surrounding zinc sacrificially protects any exposed edge.
Why twelve mobile ramps instead of building fixed docks?
Fixed concrete pits at a bulk terminal mean civil works, drainage redesign and downtime. Mobile ramps were deployed the week they arrived, need no permits, and can move with the operation — twelve fixed positions became twelve movable ones.
What is the price difference between painted and galvanized?
Expect 10–15% more for hot-dip galvanizing to AS/NZS 4680. On a 10 t yard ramp that is roughly USD 1,200–2,000 EXW — usually recovered by skipping the first repaint cycle alone.
Need a galvanized ramp package quoted for a coastal or salt-handling site? See our galvanized yard loading ramps, galvanized container ramps and heavy galvanized dock ramps, or browse the full galvanized forklift ramp category. Send us your site conditions and trailer fleet — request a drawing and quote from our engineers and we will reply within 24 hours.
