This study investigated the interaction between the Al in the Zn bath and the surface oxides formed by selective oxidation on a 1.2Si-1.5Mn TRIP steel during hot-dip galvanizing. XPS and TEM were employed for characterization. The results indicated that the amorphous xMnO center dot SiO2 oxide could react with Al to form a Si-Mn-Al-containing oxide. The crystalline MnSiO3 and Mn2SiO4 oxides could be largely reduced by Al to form holes in the oxide film. Consequently, the steel covered by a layer of mixed xMnO center dot SiO2 and MnSiO3 could form a continuous Fe2Al5 inhibition layer and showed the highest galvanizability among the three samples examined. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.