We studied the corrosion properties of bulk nanocrystalline ingot iron (BNII) and conventional polycrystalline ingot iron (CPII) in HCl solutions from 0.1 mol L-1 to 0.4 mol L-1 at room temperature. The corrosion resistance of BNII was enhanced in comparison with CPII. We investigated the surface energy state densities of BNII and CPII with ultra-violet photoelectron spectroscopy. The energy state density of BNII 4s electrons was 13.73% less than that of CPII. The function work of BNII was 0.47 eV larger that of CPII. The corrosion resistance of BNII was enhanced in comparison with CPII due to its less energy state density of 4s electrons, larger work function and weaker Cl- specific adsorption. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.