The effect of Pb and Sn on the structure of zinc hot-dip galvanized coatings on steel wires is examined. The coating quality is often low because of the Sandelin effect. An improvement could be expected if 1.0 mass% Pb is added to the Zn bath. In this case the η phase formation is enhanced, while the coating thickness is reduced. The Sn addition at the same concentration promotes the formation of the η phase but it does not affect the thickness.