In this study a novel phosphate coating, magnesium phosphate, was developed on steel surface. The formation of the coating was confirmed by X-ray diffraction method. Morphological evolution of the coating, as a function of phosphating time and temperature, was examined by scanning electron microscope. Magnetic thickness gauge was used to determine the thickness of the coating and the bath sludge weight was specified to determine the bath efficiency. Corrosion behavior of the samples was studied using potentiodynamic polarization curves. The results indicated that increasing the phosphating temperature facilitated the precipitation of coating and increased its thickness. Furthermore the best corrosion behavior was observed at 80 degrees C. Also increasing the phosphating time, enhanced both thickness and uniformity of the coating. The best results were observed after 20 min of phosphating. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.