The cost of corrosion in Australia

This paper presents a critical synthesis of available evidence on the cost and impact of corrosion in Australia. Sector-level data indicate that corrosion imposes an annual economic burden that is conservatively of the order of tens of billions of dollars; with oil and gas, water and wastewater, transport infrastructure, and defence being the dominant contributors. Importantly, sectors that account for a substantial portion of Australia’s gross domestic product, such as the mining, mineral processing, and construction industries, have not been included in past studies, leading to the true cost of corrosion being underestimated. The analysis herein reveals persistent structural challenges in corrosion management, despite decades of technical progress - situating Australia’s experience in line with global insights derived from over seventy years of national corrosion cost studies. Broader implications regarding the cost of corrosion are discussed - augmented by learnings from global studies - including future relevance to sustainability, infrastructure resilience, the environmental impact of corrosion, education and workforce development.