What is corrosion testing used for?

Corrosion testing is used to evaluate how materials, protective coatings, plated components, assemblies, and finished products perform when exposed to moisture, salt, humidity, immersion, or other aggressive environments. Common applications include coating comparison, product qualification, supplier validation, quality control, and corrosion-related failure investigation.

How long does corrosion testing take?

Corrosion test duration depends on the standard, product specification, expected service environment, and project objective. As a general rule, the longer a product is expected to perform in the field, the longer it generally needs to be tested in the laboratory. As a point of reference, requirements vary considerably by industry: Defense applications (240 to 1,000 hours), Consumer goods (96 to 1,000 hours), Architectural coatings (1,500 to 4,000 hours), and Automotive testing (1,500 to 4,000 hours). Accelerated corrosion test duration should not be interpreted as a direct predictor of field service life unless an appropriate correlation has been established.

Is ASTM B117 enough for every corrosion testing project?

No. ASTM B117 is useful for neutral salt spray exposure, coating comparison, quality control, and specifications that explicitly require it. However, it does not reproduce all real-world exposure conditions. Products exposed to changing wet/dry cycles, humidity, UV, temperature variation, or complex service environments may require cyclic corrosion testing, humidity exposure, immersion testing, or a custom method.

What is the difference between salt spray and cyclic corrosion testing?

Conventional neutral salt spray testing, such as ASTM B117, exposes specimens to continuous salt fog under controlled laboratory conditions. It is repeatable and useful for comparative benchmarking. Cyclic corrosion testing alternates between phases such as salt exposure, drying, wetting, and humidity to better reflect changing service conditions. For products that face variable environments, cyclic testing may provide more relevant comparative information.

Can corrosion testing predict the exact service life?

Corrosion testing cannot directly predict the exact service life because accelerated laboratory conditions do not perfectly map to a real-world timeline. Its main value is comparative and decision-oriented: it helps engineers assess which material, coating, process, supplier, or design performs better under equivalent controlled exposure conditions.

How do I choose the right corrosion test method?

Start by defining the decision the test must support. Coating comparisons often use ASTM B117 as a test method. Product qualification may require the exact standard listed in a customer or industry specification. Products exposed to changing outdoor, automotive, or transportation conditions may require cyclic corrosion methods such as ASTM G85 or SAE J2334. Failure investigations should use a method aligned with the actual environment and suspected corrosion mechanism.

Does Micom provide accredited corrosion testing?

Micom Laboratories is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by A2LA for selected corrosion and related test methods. If accredited results are mandatory for your project, contact us to confirm the current accreditation status for the exact standard, method revision, exposure conditions, and reporting requirements.

What sample types can you test?

We can test coated panels, metal coupons, plated parts, fasteners, brackets, components, assemblies, enclosures, and selected finished products. Sample size, geometry, material compatibility, chamber capacity, and exposure requirements must be reviewed before testing begins.

ISO/IEC 17025 Corrosion Testing Services

Corrosion Testing for Materials, Coatings, and Product Qualification

Micom Laboratories is an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited corrosion testing laboratory in Montreal offering salt spray testing, cyclic corrosion testing, humidity exposure, immersion testing, seawater exposure, freshwater exposure, and custom corrosion test programs for manufacturers in Canada and the United States. Commonly requested methods include ASTM B117, ASTM G85, ASTM D5894, SAE J2334, ISO 9227, selected MIL methods, and customer or OEM test requirements.

Manufacturers, engineers, and quality teams use corrosion testing to assess material durability, compare coating systems, qualify finished products, validate suppliers, and investigate corrosion-related failures. Micom supports corrosion test programs for aerospace, transportation, automotive, electronics, medical device, military, architectural, and industrial manufacturing applications.

A corrosion test is most valuable when it answers a defined product question. Our team helps clients select the right method based on the material system, coating type, service environment, exposure conditions, acceptance criteria, and qualification requirements.

Need Corrosion Testing for Your Product or Materials?

Corrosion Testing Capabilities at Micom

Corrosion testing evaluates how metals, protective coatings, plated components, assemblies, and finished products perform when exposed to aggressive environments. Because service conditions vary widely, the right corrosion test method depends on the material, coating system, industry, product design, product application, and the decision the test results must support.

Micom Laboratories helps you determine which corrosion testing method best fits your product, coating system, qualification requirement, or failure investigation.

Our Corrosion Testing Services

Salt Spray Corrosion Testing

Salt spray corrosion testing is widely used to compare corrosion resistance in coated, painted, plated, or surface-treated samples. It is often selected for quality control, comparative benchmarking, supplier validation, and comparison with historical data.

Cyclic Corrosion Testing

Cyclic corrosion testing exposes specimens to controlled sequences that may include salt application, humidity, wetting, drying, and temperature changes. These methods are used to evaluate how materials, coatings, and components respond to repeated changes in corrosive conditions.

Humidity Exposure Testing

Humidity exposure testing evaluates how materials, coatings, assemblies, and finished products respond to high humidity, condensation, and moisture-driven degradation. It is useful for assessing blistering, coating breakdown, adhesion loss, corrosion initiation, and moisture sensitivity.

Immersion Corrosion Testing

Immersion corrosion testing evaluates how materials, coatings, and components perform when directly exposed to a liquid for a defined period of time. Test environments may include fresh water, salt water, or other solutions selected according to the product application and expected service conditions.

Custom Corrosion Testing

Not every product fits a single published standard. Micom can develop customized corrosion testing programs when the real service environment, geometry, assembly configuration, or failure mechanism is not well represented by an off-the-shelf method.

Custom programs may involve specialized fixtures, combined exposure phases, modified cycles, immersion setups, component-level testing, or test plans designed to compare multiple material or coating options under equivalent conditions.

Tell us about your custom testing needs

Post-Exposure Evaluation and Reporting

Following testing, we perform visual examination of the samples, evaluate corrosion and coating degradation, and document other observations defined by the test method or test program. Results are recorded in documented reports that include test conditions, observations, and, depending on project requirements, photographs and evaluation criteria.

Most Requested Corrosion Tests Offered

Standard	Method type	Best used for	Practical note
Salt spray / salt fog
ASTM B117 ✔	Neutral salt spray/salt fog	Coating comparison, quality control, supplier validation	Widely used; not a direct service-life prediction.
ISO 9227	Salt spray (three sub-methods)	Exposure to one of three fine mists of sodium chloride-based electrolyte solutions, depending on the sub-method specified: neutral (NSS), acetic acid (AASS) or copper-accelerated acetic acid (CASS)	Common for international specifications. Related to ASTM B117, but the requirements and reporting provisions are not identical; use the standard specified by the product, customer or qualification program.
ASTM G85 (except A4) ✔	Modified salt spray	More specific corrosion environments	Useful when standard neutral salt fog is not sufficient.
MIL-STD-810H Method 509.8 I & II ✔	Salt fog exposure	Military, defense, aerospace, and ruggedized products exposed to salt atmospheres	Evaluates material and coating susceptibility to corrosive salt environments.
Cyclic corrosion
ASTM D5894	Cyclic salt fog / UV exposure	Paint coating systems on metals exposed to combined degradation factors	Combines corrosion and UV/weathering exposure elements.
ISO 11997-1 ✔	Cyclic salt fog / dry/humid exposure	Evaluating coating resistance under changing corrosive conditions	Uses defined cycles combining wet salt fog, drying, and humid exposure.
SAE J2334 ✔	Cyclic corrosion	Automotive and transportation applications	Useful for products exposed to changing wet/dry/salt conditions.
Humidity, water fog and condensation
ASTM D1735 ✔	Water fog/humidity	Water resistance of coatings using water fog	Often used to assess blistering and coating degradation.
ASTM D2247 ✔	Humidity resistance	Painted or coated specimens in high humidity	Useful for moisture-related coating evaluations.
ASTM D4585	Controlled condensation	Coatings and products exposed to condensation	Supports moisture and condensation performance evaluations.
MIL-STD-810 Method 507.6	Humidity exposure	Products and components exposed to warm, humid environments	Evaluates resistance to humidity, condensation, and moisture-related degradation.
Immersion / alternate immersion
ASTM G44	Alternate immersion in salt solution	Comparative corrosion and stress-corrosion testing of metals and alloys	Alternate immersion testing for evaluating susceptibility to stress-corrosion cracking, with applicability to other forms of corrosion such as pitting, intergranular, and galvanic corrosion.
Corrosion evaluation (during and after exposure)
ASTM D610	Corrosion evaluation	Rating the degree of rusting on painted steel	Can be rated at intervals during exposure and at the end.
ASTM D714	Corrosion evaluation	Rating the size and frequency of blisters in a coating	Can be rated at intervals during exposure and at the end.
ASTM D1654 ✔	Corrosion evaluation	Evaluating painted or coated specimens subjected to corrosive environments	Measures creep from a scribe; can be rated at intervals during exposure and at the end.
ASTM D3359	Post-exposure evaluation	Assessing coating adhesion (tape test)	Performed once exposure is completed, as it damages the surface.
ASTM D3363	Post-exposure evaluation	Assessing film hardness (pencil test)	Performed once exposure is completed, as it damages the surface.
ASTM D4541	Post-exposure evaluation	Measuring pull-off strength of the coating	Performed once exposure is completed, as it damages the surface.

✔ Within Micom’s current A2LA scope of accreditation (Certificate 6125.01).

Accreditation note: Micom is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by A2LA for selected corrosion and related test methods. Some methods may be performed under our quality system but may not be listed on the current accreditation scope. Contact us to confirm accreditation status for your specific standard.

“A corrosion test is only useful if it answers a specific product question. Otherwise, it’s just data.”

Michel Comtois, President, Micom Laboratories
M.Sc., Physical Chemistry | 40+ years of experience in material testing

Customer Approvals and Test Result Recognitions

Micom Laboratories holds customer-specific approvals from Bombardier, Airbus, De Havilland Canada, Hydro-Québec, and Viking Air, and performs corrosion testing both for these organizations and for suppliers qualifying parts to their requirements. Our testing team is familiar with the documentation, traceability, and technical discipline required for supplier approval and product qualification work.

How to Choose the Right Corrosion Test Method

The best corrosion test depends on what you need to learn from the results. Each objective can lead to a different method.

Objective	Typical Test Approach	Possible standards	What the result supports
Compare two or more coating systems	Salt spray or cyclic corrosion testing	ASTM B117, ASTM G85, SAE J2334	Ranking of coating performance under equivalent exposure.
Qualify a product to a customer specification	Method required by the specification	ASTM, SAE, MIL, ISO, OEM methods	Evidence that the product meets defined requirements.
Evaluate changing outdoor or transportation conditions	Cyclic corrosion testing	ASTM G85, SAE J2334, ISO 11997	Some cyclic corrosion methods may better reproduce relevant wet/dry/humidity/salt sequences than continuous salt fog; relevance depends on the product and service environment.
Assess painted or coated metal degradation	Cyclic salt fog / UV or humidity testing	ASTM D5894, ASTM D1735, ASTM D2247, ASTM D4585	Assessment of blistering, rusting, coating breakdown, or adhesion-related issues.
Investigate a corrosion-related failure	Custom or failure-specific program	Standard plus project-specific exposure	Evidence aligned with the actual environment and suspected mechanism.
Evaluate direct liquid exposure	Immersion or water exposure testing	Project-specific or applicable ASTM/ISO methods	Compatibility with water, saltwater, process fluids, or cleaning solutions.

Not Sure Which Standard Fits Your Project?

Our team can help you choose a corrosion test method based on your material type, coating system, expected environment, performance criteria, and project objectives.

Materials, Coatings, and Products We Help Evaluate

Micom Laboratories can evaluate a wide range of materials, coatings, and finished products for corrosion resistance, coating performance, supplier validation, product qualification and failure investigation.

Metallic materials and alloys
Coated and painted systems
Powder-coated, liquid-coated, and conversion-coated components
Plated components and surface-treated parts
Fasteners, hardware, brackets, and assemblies
Transportation and automotive components
Aerospace parts and supplier qualification samples
Electronics enclosures and assemblies
Medical device components
Architectural, industrial, and utility products exposed to moisture, salt, or humidity

Why Test with Micom

Multiple Corrosion Testing Chambers

Micom operates multiple dedicated corrosion testing chambers, allowing concurrent test programs and reducing scheduling conflicts between projects. This helps clients who need to compare several coating systems, run parallel exposures, or meet product qualification deadlines.

Accredited Methods & Documented Results

Our corrosion testing is performed within an ISO/IEC 17025 quality system. Projects can include documented test conditions, sample identification, exposure duration, observations, photographs, evaluation notes, and formal reports that engineering and quality teams can use for product qualification, supplier approval, or regulatory submission.

Technical Guidance Before Testing Begins

Selecting the wrong corrosion test can waste time and produce data that does not answer the product question. Our material testing team works with you before testing begins to confirm the method, exposure conditions, sample configuration, and evaluation criteria.

Practical Timelines and Responsive Communication

Corrosion testing can range from short screening exposures to long qualification programs. We help you define realistic timelines based on sample preparation, chamber availability, exposure duration, inspections, reporting requirements, and project urgency.

What to Send Us for a Corrosion Testing Quote

Providing the right project information helps our team confirm the applicable test method, specimen requirements, testing scope, and reporting needs.

When requesting a quote, please provide:

Standard, test method, or customer specification, if known
Number of samp