Salt-spray test

Corrosion testing of plated hooks, rings and hardware (ASTM B117 / ISO 9227).

What it changes for you

Specify it for saltwater programmes or accept that plating is unverified.

In practice

A salt-spray test exposes plated hooks, split rings and other hardware to a salt fog for a fixed period and records the corrosion that appears. It is the check that separates a freshwater build from one that survives saltwater use, and it is the most commonly skipped specification on a tackle order. Freshwater-spec hardware sold into a saltwater market is a documented quality complaint.

Questions about Salt-spray

Do I need a salt-spray test?

If the product is sold into saltwater use, yes. Without it the plating on hooks and rings is unverified, and corrosion is the complaint that arrives after the season rather than before it.

What does the test actually prove?

That a specific plated component survived a defined salt-fog exposure. It is a comparative check between suppliers and batches, not a lifetime guarantee.

Other terms

• FOB (Free On Board) - Seller delivers the goods on board the vessel at the named port; cost and risk transfer there.
• EXW (Ex Works) - Buyer collects at the factory gate.
• MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) - The smallest quantity a factory will run for one specification.
• Tooling cost - The one-off cost of the injection mould, die or print plate.
• Colourway tolerance - The measured range a factory will hold between sample and repeat production.
• AQL (Acceptable Quality Limit) - The sampling standard (ISO 2859-1) defining allowed defects per inspected lot.

Send a specificationAll 14 terms