The primary use of zinc is in galvanizing, which protects iron and steel from rusting. However, zinc can also be alloyed with other metals and used for die casting into shapes such as door handles, alloyed with copper to make brass and with copper and tin to make bronze.
Brass fittings are used in Canadian households across the country in plumbing and heat exchange equipment.
Zinc can also be added to fertilizers to increase crop yields and made into zinc oxide which is an ingredient in skin cream and used in the manufacture of tires.