This article links fundamental electrochemical research with its application in the steel industry. Sometimes, electrochemistry is for problem solving the ultimate technique to compete with the most powerful analytical techniques nowadays available. Examples of potentiodynamic scans on steel surfaces and critical pitting temperature measurements on stainless steel surfaces will be shown. An evaluation of the electrochemical techniques is made compared to micro-analytical techniques. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.