Knowledge base · Technical note
Salt spray testing explained for storage hardware
Salt spray hours are the easiest number in this industry to quote and the easiest to misuse. Here is what the test actually measures.
What the test does
A neutral salt spray test exposes a component to a continuous fine mist of salt solution in a controlled chamber, and records how long the finish resists visible corrosion. It is a comparison tool: it tells you how one finish behaves relative to another under the same conditions.
What it does not do
It does not predict service life. A chamber is not a coastal car park. Real exposure involves wet and dry cycles, UV, temperature swings, abrasion from doors opening and closing, and airborne contaminants. A component can pass a long chamber test and still corrode quickly in a specific real environment — and the reverse also happens.
Why the hours figure gets misused
Because it is a number, and numbers compare easily. A supplier quoting '96 hours' against another's '48 hours' looks twice as good, even if the two tests used different solutions, different temperatures or different failure criteria.
Hours are only meaningful alongside the test conditions and the pass/fail standard.
The questions that make a report useful
- Which model and which finish was tested?
- What salt concentration, temperature and duration?
- What was the pass criterion — first white rust, first red rust, or a percentage of surface affected?
- Is there a before-and-after photograph?
- Was the test on a production part or a prepared coupon?
Our position
Salt spray, cycle testing, tensile and impact load, humidity and temperature ageing are all part of our testing capability. Parameters and reports are specific to each product.
We do not transfer one product's test data to another, and we do not quote an hours figure without the conditions behind it. Tell us which standard your project requires and we will confirm what applies.
Confirm it on your own doors
Send a door photo, the cylinder size or the mounting dimensions. We confirm fit with a physical sample before you commit to a quantity.
What readers ask next
Reading a report that has been put in front of you.
Can you send the salt-spray report for the model we are ordering?
Yes, where the test has been carried out for that model and finish. One product's result is not transferred to another, so the report names the model it belongs to.
What duration should we specify?
It follows the environment the lock will live in rather than a number chosen for a datasheet. Tell us where the units are and we will confirm what the finish is tested to.
Is a longer test always better?
Not on its own. The test measures one corrosion mechanism under one set of conditions, so the duration should be read together with the finish and the environment rather than as a standalone score.