Cathodic protection coupons are a simple, size-specific piece of metal with one or more wires attached and are used for evaluating corrosion control or cathodic protection systems protecting a structure, typically a steel pipeline. These measurments includes: Native or unprotected structure-to-soil potentials Structure-to-soil potentials with the CP system energized Structure-to-soil potentials with the CP system interrupted To emulate an “Off” structure-to-soil potential without interrupting CP current, typically referred to as a “Coupon Interrupt” reading. For magnitude measurements of AC current density on a structure with known induced AC issues. Use as an isolated coupon to evaluate native or unprotected potentials. Coupons are provided in a variety of size ranges depending on the application. Currently, the two most popular sizes are 1 cm2 and 10 cm2. In addition to the coupon size, there are different physical configurations as well. Flathead-10 Coupon The "Flathead-10" steel coupon is a 10 cm2 coupon made from 1018 alloy steel. The steel coupon is flush mounted inside a durable PVC housing. This coupon includes a specified length of #12 AWG stranded copper cable with RHH/RHW direct burial insulation, typically green in color.
Created by: Pipeline Corrosion Control
Last updated 11/2025