Do You Have to Sandblast Before Powder Coating?

Steel with rust, scale or imperfections has to be cleaned back before it is powder coated, and sand blasting is how that is done. Once it is blasted the clock starts: the Australian Standard allows not more than four hours between blasting and coating. At Advance Sprayers in Richlands the blasting rooms and the coating booths are on one site, so our jobs are coated within that time.

Why steel is blasted before it is coated

Sand blasting cleans the steel of any rust, scale or imperfections. It leaves a clean surface to coat, and a profile: a texture the powder or paint can adhere to.

Powder coating then goes on dry and is cured in an oven, where the powder melts and fuses to the surface. That is why the surface has to be clean before the powder goes on.

The four hour limit

Freshly blasted steel is bare metal, and it starts to oxidise once it meets the air. The Australian Standard allows not more than four hours between blasting and coating.

So it matters where the blasting is done. If steel is blasted at one business and trucked to another to be coated, the clock is running while it travels. Our two sand blasting rooms are on the same site as our powder coating booths, ovens and spray booths, so we coat our jobs within the four hours.

Aluminium is prepared differently

Aluminium is prepared by chromating. Our six stage process protects the aluminium against corrosion and gives the powder coating something to hold. The guide to powder coating aluminium explains it.

Can you powder coat aluminium?

What to tell us when you ask for a quote

The material, and its condition: new steel, rusty, or previously painted
The size of the largest item
How many there are
The finish you want, if you know it
Any specification the job has to meet

We can sand blast to specification to meet Australian standards and provide quality assurance documentation if required.

Our blasting rooms

Our large room is 6000 mm x 3800 mm x 2500 mm, to handle most bigger jobs. We also have a smaller room, perfect for efficiently handling a multitude of smaller jobs.

Request a quote (07) 3375 4299

Advance Sprayers, Richlands QLD. Published 6 October 2026.

Questions we are asked

Does every steel job need sand blasting?

It depends on the condition of the steel. Rust, scale and imperfections have to come off before it is coated, and sand blasting is how we do that. Tell us what the item is and its condition when you ask for a quote, and we will tell you the preparation it needs.

How long can steel sit after blasting before it is coated?

The Australian Standard allows not more than four hours between blasting and coating. We blast and coat on the same site, so our jobs are coated within that time.

Can blasted steel be spray painted instead of powder coated?

Yes. Blasting leaves a profile that paint and powder can both adhere to. We do two pack spray painting in the same workshop, for items too large for our ovens and for jobs specified in a paint system.

How big an item can you blast?

Our large blasting room is 6000 mm x 3800 mm x 2500 mm. A second, smaller room handles smaller jobs.

Do you have to sandblast before powder coating?