In order to develop protective coatings on the Fe-based equipments used in a continuous hotdip galvanizing process, sol-gel silica(SiO₂) coatings are formed on steel substrate and their durability in molten zinc has been investigated. The structure of silica coating was glassy and did not change during immersion test. Although many cracks were formed in the coating layers during immersion test, the silica coating was not separated from the substrate and effectively protected steel base from molten zinc attack. It is suggested that such a excellent durability of sol-gel silica coatings in molten zinc is due to the unwettability of silica coatings against molten zinc and high bonding strength between silica coatings and steel. Consequently, it is believed that sol-gel SiO₂ coatings could be used as a protective coating for Fe-based equipments used in a continuous hot-dip galvanizing process.