In the field of organic coatings, electrodeposition is a technique that holds many advantages over traditional methods of immersion and dispersion, such as low levels of contamination, ease of control and automatization, and high penetration capacity. In this article, the results of the electrodeposition of poly(vinylidene chloride) emulsions on galvanized steel are presented. The operating conditions to form thin, uniform, and adherent films were established. A mathematical model was also developed to predict film growth with time as a function of the process parameters. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 70: 2479–2486, 1998