Invisible contaminants like soluble salts can cause coatings to fail prematurely, even on a freshly blasted surface. Chlorides, sulfates, and other residues draw moisture through the coating, leading to blistering, rust, and costly rework. Our Surface Contamination Risk Calculator evaluates the likelihood of contamination based on environmental conditions, abrasive source, and blasting method. Use it to identify high-risk situations, determine when salt testing is necessary, and plan effective remediation steps—so your surface prep meets industry standards and your coatings perform as intended.
Surface Contamination Risk Calculator
SURFACE CONTAMINATION RISK CALCULATOR
Estimate chloride and sulfate contamination risk on blasted steel and get remediation guidance.
Inputs
Marine gets the highest baseline due to salt deposition; rural/desert the lowest.
> 70% tends to elevate deposition risk on exposed steel.
Salts can remain in pits and diffuse out later.
Bresle/ISO 8502-6/9 or equivalent. Leave blank if unknown.
Leave blank if unknown.
Assessment
Risk Level: —
Recommendation
Enter inputs and click Calculate.
Thresholds used
Immersion: ≤ 3 µg/cm² chloride; Atmospheric: ≤ 5 µg/cm² chloride; Sulfate: ≤ 10 µg/cm².
This tool provides an engineering judgment, not a specification. Actual soluble salts are invisible and must be measured. For critical work (tanks, splash zones, marine vessels), perform field salt testing and verify against the project spec.
References & methods commonly cited:
ISO 8502-6/9 (Bresle), SSPC-SP 12/NACE 5 (water cleaning), SSPC Guide 15 (soluble salts), AMPP/legacy NACE practices.
Interpretation & notes
• Marine/coastal sites start “hot” for chloride deposition. Industrial sites may skew toward sulfates/nitrates.
• Abrasives: beach sand and unwashed slags are usual contamination suspects; modern washed garnet/slag and recyclable steel grit trend low.
• Wet blasting without verified clean water can add salts; RO/DI is preferred near the coast.
• Deep pits can hide ions; blast-clean steel can re-bloom salts later. Always recheck before coating if the window is long or humidity is high.
• Abrasives: beach sand and unwashed slags are usual contamination suspects; modern washed garnet/slag and recyclable steel grit trend low.
• Wet blasting without verified clean water can add salts; RO/DI is preferred near the coast.
• Deep pits can hide ions; blast-clean steel can re-bloom salts later. Always recheck before coating if the window is long or humidity is high.

