In order to reduce the risk of damage by hydrogen embrittlement the following is recommended:Steel with tensile strength above 1400 N/mm2(or corresponding hardness 415 HB) should notbe electroplated with zinc by conventional methods. Severely cold-worked steel articles andarticles of steel with tensile strength above 1000 N/mm2 (or corresponding to hardness 300 HB)shall be heat treated within 4 h after the coating.The time for the heat treatment depends on the dimensions for the articles and on the tensilestrength of the material. Minimum times for heat treatment at 190 - 210 °C are given in table 1.The heat treatment has a detrimental influence on the passivation layer. The heat treatmentshould therefore be carried out before passivation.