Bulletin No.

AN 116 Page 1 of 2

Application Note
Date Issued August 1999

Corrosion Rate Calculations from Corrosion Rate Calculations

Coupons Index Keys Weight Loss Coupons

To calculate corrosion rate from weight loss coupons, use the following equation:

22,300 × Weight Loss (grams)

CORROSION RATE (mpy) =
Metal Density (g / cm 3 ) × Coupon Area (in.2 ) × Time (days)

where “Weight Loss” is the weight loss due to corrosion and is determined by subtracting the weight after cleaning
from the initial weight, “Metal Density” is the density of the coupon or coupon alloy from the following table,
“Coupon Area” is the surface area of the coupon that is exposed to the corroding process, and “Time” is the
period in days between installation and removal of the coupon.

The above equation is used for calculation of corrosion rates in mpy (mils per year) when the area of the coupon is
in inches and the time of exposure is in days. For other units of measure of these parameters, alternate values for
the constant should be substituted for the value 22,300 in the above equation. The following list contains some
alternate values.

Units of Measure Substitute for Value of 22,300

Corrosion Rate (mm/year), Coupon Area (in. 2) 566
Corrosion Rate (mpy), Coupon Area (cm. 2) 143,700
Corrosion Rate (mm/year), Coupon Area (cm. 2) 3,650

EXAMPLE
A mild steel coupon weighing 10.9265 grams and having an exposed area of 2.96 square inches was installed in a
process on August 27th. On November 13th, after 78 days in the process, it was removed and cleaned. The
weight was found to be 10.5560 grams. From the following table, the density is found to be 7.85 g/cm3. The
corrosion rate calculation for the period is:

22,300 × (10.9265 − 10.5560)

= 4.56 mpy
7.85 × 2.96 × 78 days

STANDARD COUPON AREAS

3" Strip COSASCO® High Pressure Coupon 5.2 in.2 COSASCO® Multi Disc Coupon 2.3 in.2

6" Strip COSASCO® High Pressure Coupon 11.4 in.2 3" Strip COSASCO® Scale Coupon 5.25 in.2

2" COSASCO® Ladder Coupon 3.4 in.2 3" Strip Model 6210 Coupon (Retractable) 3.4 in.2

COSASCO® Flush Disc Coupon 2.5 in.2 3" Strip WTC Coupon 3.4 in.2
Corrosion Rate Calculations from Coupons AN 116 Page 2 of 2

Alloy UNS Code Density (g/cm3 ) CORRATER® Multiplier

Aluminum, 1100 A91100 2.71 0.94
Aluminum, 2024 A92024 2.78 0.86

Brass, Arsenical Admiralty C44300 8.52 1.67

Brass, Aluminum Arsenical C68700 8.33 1.62

Brass, Phosphorized Admiralty C44500 8.52 1.68

Carbon Steel, Pipe Grade K03005 7.85 1.00

Carbon Steel, 1010 G10100 7.86 1.00

Carbon Steel, 1018 G10180 7.86 1.00

Carpenter 20-Cb3 N08020 8.08 0.98

Cast Iron, Gray F12801 7.19 1.00

Copper C11000 8.91 2.00

Copper-Nickel, 90/10 C70610 8.94 1.80

Copper-Nickel, 70/30 C71500 8.94 1.50

Inconel 600 N06600 8.51 0.95

Incoloy 800 N08800 7.94 0.89

Incoloy 825 N08825 8.14 0.88

Lead L50045 11.34 2.57

Monel 400 N04400 8.84 1.13

Monel K-500 N05500 8.47 1.04

Nickel 200 N02200 8.89 0.93

Stainless Steel, 304 S30400 8.02 0.89

Stainless Steel, 304L S30403 8.02 0.89

Stainless Steel, 316 S31600 8.02 0.90

Stainless Steel, 316L S31603 8.02 0.90

Stainless Steel, 2205 Duplex S31803 7.80 0.89

Titanium, Gr. 2 & 4 R50400 4.54 0.75

Zinc Z17001 7.13 1.29