METALWORKING Reformulating
for the future: How advanced additive chemistry is redefining sustainable metal corrosion protection
Callum Dorward, Metalworking Product Manager, Europe, Lubrizol Additives
Corrosion remains a costly, persistent challenge across modern metalworking, but the solutions are evolving. This article explores how shifting base oils, tighter environmental regulations and supply pressures are driving reformulation, and how next-generation additive chemistries are enabling more sustainable, flexible and effective rust prevention across today’s manufacturing landscape.
The enduring cost of metal corrosion Across steel production, metal fabrication, and precision component manufacturing, corrosion remains one of the most persistent and costly challenges facing global industry. Studies by international corrosion organisations, including NACE International (National Association of Corrosion Engineers, now part of the Association for Materials Protection and Performance, AMPP), have long estimated that corrosion-related damage and inefficiency account for more than 3% of global GDP annually; a figure that reflects not only material loss, but rework, scrappage, delays and pressure on already complex supply chains.
For manufacturers handling steel coils, machined components or large fabricated assemblies, even short lapses in temporary corrosion protection can escalate quickly. Coils and sheets may require resurfacing or rejection, increasing material costs. Precision parts can arrive visually unacceptable or dimensionally compromised. Exported components may need remedial work at their destination, eroding
margins and supplier confidence. Frequently, the most significant costs are indirect: production disruption, lost productivity, and late deliveries can outweigh the value of the component itself.
Rust-preventive metal protection fluids are essential in mitigating this risk. However, as environmental expectations evolve, base oil supply chains shift and regulatory frameworks tighten, the demands placed on these fluids have increased substantially.
A market in transition The metalworking fluids sector, and metal corrosion protection in particular, is operating under a convergence of structural pressures that are reshaping the requirements of effective protection.
Global steel output has grown steadily over recent decades, driving ever greater volumes of material that must be protected during processing, storage and transport. As production footprints expand, the consistency and reliability of temporary corrosion protection become increasingly commercially significant.
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.193 JUNE 2026 13
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