Hot-dip galvanizing, zinc powder, and RAL 9017: which finish each court gets and what it protects against

The question almost always arrives the same way: "The ocean is right in front of me. Which model holds up?" It is the right question. Tempered glass and mesh are the same on the coast and inland; steel is not. The structure is the part that decides how long the court looks the way it did the day it went up, and what decides that for the steel is its finish.

Orion XSport protects the steel of its courts in two ways. Neither is a patch: both leave the Qingdao factory that way, applied and documented. What changes is the mechanism each one uses to stop corrosion — and that is why the climate where each one makes sense changes too.

Hot-dip galvanizing: zinc metallurgically bonded to the steel

Hot-dip galvanizing is not paint. The steel piece, already cut and drilled, is immersed in molten zinc. At that temperature the zinc and the iron react and form alloy layers: the coating is bonded to the metal, becoming part of it. It does not peel off in sheets and does not depend on the surface staying intact.

The important part comes next. Zinc is less noble than steel, so it corrodes first: that is cathodic protection. If a bolt scratches a profile or an impact exposes bare metal, the zinc surrounding the wound sacrifices itself and the exposed steel does not rust. That is the point no surface layer can imitate. And because it is an immersion process, the zinc reaches where a spray gun cannot: the inside of the tubes, the base of the welds, the edges, and the holes. In a hollow-profile structure, the inside is exactly where the problem nobody sees begins — until it is too late.

Double layer: zinc powder primer plus polymer powder coat, RAL 9017

The second finish is two layers applied in a booth. First a zinc powder primer, which is what gives the system its character: under the visible layer there is zinc in contact with the steel, and that zinc works exactly like the galvanizing's zinc when a scratch appears. Then the polymer powder in black RAL 9017, oven-cured, which forms the hard barrier against water, sand, and solar radiation.

It is a complete finish, and it is the one the factory fits as standard on five of the seven models. The visible layer is hard, uniform, easy to touch up, and stands up to the friction of daily use. Its logic differs from galvanizing's: here the primary protection is a barrier — the powder — backed by the zinc in the primer; in galvanizing, the primary protection is the zinc in the body of the coating itself, with the powder on top as color and as a sacrificial layer against the sun. Two valid strategies. The difference shows when the environment attacks continuously, not occasionally.

What each model gets

On the five models with the double-layer finish, hot-dip galvanizing by immersion per EN ISO 1461 is available as an upgrade and quoted separately. You request it along with the model and the price comes back in the offer.

When it really matters

Salt air. Chloride is the coast's specific enemy. It arrives in marine aerosol, settles on the structure, and stays there until it rains. Chloride breaks the passive layer locally and attacks in points, not across the surface: small craters that advance inward. It punishes above all the places where the barrier has a weak point — edges, fasteners, joints — and it does so continuously. This is the scenario where galvanizing's cathodic protection, with zinc through the full thickness and inside the tube as well, makes the real difference.

Tropical humidity. What does the damage is not the heat: it is the time of wetness. In a tropical climate the structure spends many hours a day with a film of water on it — from dew, from rain, or from condensation at dawn. Corrosion needs water and oxygen, and there it has both almost without pause. If there is also salt in the air, the two factors compound.

Sand. The turf's sand does not oxidize anything on its own, but it is abrasive. It flies up with play, collects at the foot of the posts, and over time wears down the visible layer along the lower band of the structure. Where the barrier thins, water finds a way in: mechanical wear that ends up becoming a corrosion problem.

UV radiation. The sun does not attack the steel; it attacks the polymer of the visible layer. The result of UV aging is loss of gloss and surface chalking in the color layer, not rust. That makes UV a matter of appearance and finish maintenance, and it should be treated as such: the installation remains protected by what lies underneath.

Translated into a purchasing decision: if the court is going next to the ocean, at a club by the beach, or in a high-humidity tropical zone, it makes sense to go with hot-dip galvanizing — either by choosing the Superpanoramic Apex or Panoramic Crest, or by requesting the upgrade on whichever model you prefer. In a dry climate, indoors, or inland, the double layer with zinc primer is the right finish and there is no technical reason to spend more.

RAL 9017 and why everything is black

RAL 9017 is a black from the RAL chart, the European industrial color standard. It is not a generic black: it is an exact reference, and that means any replacement part ordered later comes out the same color as the structure installed today.

The entire structure comes in that black for practical reasons. It visually disappears behind the glass, which is what you want: the player should see the ball, not the profiles. It hides dust and sand marks far better than a light color. And it is the color that pairs best with blue or green turf in photographs, which is how a club gets sold.

The standards

EN ISO 1461 is the standard for hot-dip galvanized coatings by immersion on steel parts, and it is the one cited when galvanizing is requested as an upgrade. EN 1090-1 governs the conformity assessment of structural steel components, which is the framework the structure is manufactured under. CE EN 12150 is the European standard for tempered safety glass, and it covers the courts' 12 mm tempered glass.

Closing

The choice is not between a good finish and a bad one. It is between two protection mechanisms for two different environments. Tell us where the court is going — distance to the ocean, humidity, covered or open-air — and the answer resolves itself: Apex or Crest when the galvanizing has to come from the factory, or the quoted upgrade on the model that already fits you.

FAQ

Is the double-layer finish a provisional or entry-level finish? It is the complete standard finish on five models in the range, with a zinc powder primer under the color layer. It leaves the factory that way, on five of the seven models.

How much does it cost to add hot-dip galvanizing to an Panoramic Arc or a Classic Court? It is quoted separately. You request it with the model and the price comes back in the offer.

Are the galvanized models also coated? Yes. The Superpanoramic Apex and Panoramic Crest carry hot-dip galvanizing and, on top of it, a black RAL 9017 powder coat.

What is the difference between the Apex's galvanizing and the Crest's? On the Apex, hot-dip galvanizing is done piece by piece. On the Crest, it is hot-dip galvanizing by immersion of the entire structure. Both are standard.

I'm inland, with no direct sea breeze. Do I need the galvanizing? If there is no continuous input of salt aerosol and no persistent high humidity, the double layer with zinc primer covers the case. The variable to look at is the site's real exposure, more than the distance on a map.

Can I order the structure in another color? The range is manufactured in black RAL 9017. It is a fixed color reference, which ensures any part ordered later matches the installed structure.

Full specs, price and quote form: the court catalog.