Baking finish is a common warehouse cage surface treatment, built from multi-coat primer and topcoat; it looks great, but trades off against galvanized powder coating in rust and wear resistance. Choose surface treatment by operating environment first—not by color.
The baking process typically goes through rust removal, primer, drying, topcoat, and re-drying, reaching 60~100μm film thickness, with even color and high gloss; suitable for clean indoor workshops and display cages where appearance matters. But once the paint film is chipped by forklift impact, the underlying steel is exposed and rust starts from the chip.
Galvanized powder coating applies a powder layer over galvanized or phosphated substrate, combining electrochemical rust protection with coating protection, at 60~80μm film thickness, impact- and oil-resistant; suitable for machining, casting, and outdoor turnover. The color is not as fine as baking finish, but durability is stronger.
In cost, baking and powder coating are similar, with hot-dip-galvanized powder-coated cages slightly more expensive. One test tells them apart: chip a small piece of paint after impact—galvanized powder-coated substrate stays rust-free, while baking substrate shows red rust within weeks; this is the core gap.
Selection advice: indoor display and light turnover choose baking finish; heavy oil and frequent handling in workshops choose galvanized powder coating. Nanjing Tongnuo Warehouse Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. can do both treatments and provide sample plaques, letting customers test rust after impact before deciding.