The inhibition effect of tween-85 on the corrosion of cold rolled steel (CRS) in 1.0 M hydrochloric acid (HCl) was studied by weight loss and potentiodynamic polarization methods. The results show that tween-85 is a good inhibitor in 1.0 M HCl and its maximum inhibition efficiency (IE) is 92% at very low concentration. Its adsorption obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm equation. The thermodynamic parameters of adsorption enthalpy (Delta H-0), adsorption free energy (Delta G(0)) and adsorption entropy (Delta S-0) were calculated and discussed. Polarization curves show that tween-85 acts as a mixed-type inhibitor in hydrochloric acid. IE values obtained from weight loss and polarization are consistent. The adsorbed film on a CRS surface containing an optimum dose of tween-85 was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscope (AFM). An inhibitive mechanism is proposed from the viewpoint of adsorption theory.