Changes in residual alloy concentration, particularly increases in copper and nickel, which take place in pickling were found to be due to the formation of a pickling film through galvanic plating of these elements dissolved in the acid. Before pickling, the steel surface was actually higher in copper and nickel than was the interior, owing to preferential oxidation of iron during mill processing. Pickling film buildup (such as surface copper) was found to have no direct telation to adherence. Slow pickling steels, however, on which adherence was less easily obtained, built up more copper on the surface; hence, an apparent correlation existed. Fast pickling steels, which gave good adherence with less metal removal than was required for slow pickling steels, showed much more surface roughening for the same amount of metal removal. This increased roughening is felt to be a contributing factor toward good direct‐on adherence.