Guide · Steel & Materials
Galvanized or black pipe?
Indoors vs. outdoors.
It's the same steel pipe — the difference is the zinc. Galvanized resists rust outdoors; black (uncoated) costs less for indoor or to-be-coated work.
The difference
It comes down to the coating
Black pipe
Uncoated mill finish. Cheaper, and ideal for indoor structural, plumbing, or anything you'll paint or weld. It will rust if left exposed outdoors.
Galvanized pipe
Hot-dip zinc coating that resists corrosion — the choice for outdoor fence framework, railings, and exposed structural runs.
Which to choose
Outdoors → galvanized. Indoors or you're coating it → black.
Wet or exposed-to-weather work needs galvanized. Indoor, structural, or anything you'll paint or weld can run black pipe and save. We stock both at every yard.
Still not sure?
Tell us the job — we'll spec it
Send us what you're building and we'll match the right product and get you a quote within one business day.