The effect of tartaric acid on zinc electrodeposition from sulphate plating bath was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), stationary polarization curves. X-ray diffraction and SEM imagery. The study shows that it is possible to obtain homogeneous, compact and dendrites-free zinc deposits from sulphate solutions containing tartaric acid. For various hydrodynamic methods (rotating disc electrode and static vertical or horizontal electrode), the results indicate that, the presence of only small quantity of tartaric acid, may induce significant changes on deposition rates and deposit quality. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.