Steel Basketball Goals

When it comes to steel in the production of basketball goals, the business saying "location, location, location" rings louder than ever. For those that are not that familiar with basketball goals and the steel that is used to create them, this information should prove to be both enlightening and informative.

The finish that is usually placed on steel parts in the manufacturing process in paint or powder coating. Paint has a nice look and is easy to apply , however it has a flaw in the fact that it does not hold up well to direct sunlight and is prone to wear down and allow rust to form. Powder coating is a process by which a fine plastic powder is applied to steel. It sticks via and electric charge. The steel is then baked to melt and cure the plastic in a tight finish that is very durable. I should say durable if the steel is processed correctly before it is finished.

You see steel as it goes through the manufacturing process becomes very dirty and covered with little deposits of oil. Both of these factors effect the ability of paint and powder coating to stick to the metal on a basketball goal. For example if you powder coat a dirty piece of steel and then it gets scratched, rust will form where the scratch has been made, but it does not stop there. Being that the steel in the basketball goal was dirty, the rust now travels under the powder coating in all directions lifting the powder coating right off of the steel. Soon large sections of the finish will fall to the ground leaving a rusting mass in your yard. If this same piece of steel had been acid washed and then sandblasted before the finish was applied, when scratched, the rust would move no farther that the scratch itself leaving the rest of the finish intact.

Remember this, basketball goals that are produced in China are not acid washed or sand blasted so their finishes tend to fall off and are riddled with rust. Basketball goals that are produced in the United States are sand blasted and acid washed so their finishes last much longer.

Something to consider when you choose your next basketball goal!