4. Forms of Corrosion

4.3 Galvanic Corrosion: Galvanic Series [3/4]


Galvanic Series:

Galvanic series is a guide for engineers to enable them to select compatible materials to minimize galvanic corrosion. Such a series is given in the table below.

Table 4.1: Galvanic Series 

Anodic 

(Easily Corroded)

Magnesium

Magnesium alloys
Zinc
Beryllium
Aluminum 110, 3003, 3004, 5052, 6053
Cadmium
Aluminum 2017, 2024, 2117
Mild Steel 1018, Wrought Iron
HSLA Steel, Cast Iron
Chrome Iron (active)
430 Stainless (active)
302, 303, 321, 347, 410, 416 Stainless Steel (active)
Ni-Resist
316, 317 Stainless (active)
Carpenter 20Cb-3 Stainless (active)
Aluminum Bronze (CA687)
Hastelloy C (active) Inconel 625 (active Titanium (active)
Lead/Tin Solder
Lead
Tin
Inconel 600 (active)
Nickel (active)
60% Ni-15% Cr (active)
80% Ni-20% Cr (active)
Hastelloy B (active)

Cathodic 

(Not Corroded)

Naval Brass (CA464), Yellow Brass (CA268)
Red Brass (CA230), Admiralty Brass (CA443)
Copper (CA102)
Manganese Bronze (CA675), Tin Bronze (CA903, 905)
410, 416 Stainless (passive) Phosphor Bronze (CA521, 524)
Silicon Bronze (CA651, 655)
Nickel Silver (CA732, 735, 745, 752, 754, 757, 765, 770, 794)

Cupro Nickel 90-10

Cupro Nickel 80-20
430 Stainless (passive)
Cupro Nickel 70-30
Nickel Aluminum Bronze (CA630, 632)
Monel 400, K500
Silver Solder
Nickel (passive)
60% Ni-15% Cr (passive)
302, 303, 304, 321, 347 Stainless (passive)
316, 317 Stainless (passive)
Carpenter 20Cb-3 Stainless (passive), Incoloy 825 (passive)
Silver
Titanium (passive), Hastelloy C & C276 (passive)
Graphite
Ziconium
Gold
Platinum

Galvanic series is a table showing the relative corrodability of different metals and alloys in seawater. The metals and alloys are listed from being  more corrodable (anodic or active) to more noble (cathodic). The closer the metals, the lesser is the chance for galvanic corrosion.