Why does some material appear shinny while others appear dull?
Differing surface appearances are almost always explained with either steel chemistry or steel thickness. Levels of silicon and phosphorus high enough to be termed “reactive” will produce a coating that will be significantly thicker, and as a result, much duller in appearance. Secondly, thicker steels will also develop thicker alloying layers of zinc. This thicker coating will also exhibit a duller appearance, however, unlike reactive steels, the thicker coating resulting from thicker steel (view thickness chart for more info) will not chip and flake off as is the case with reactivity.
