Abstract: A method for coating hot-rolled or cold-rolled steel strip containing 6-30 wt %. Mn with a metallic protective layer, includes annealing the steel strip at a temperature of 800-1100° C. under an annealing atmosphere containing nitrogen, water and hydrogen and then subjecting the steel strip to hot dip coating. The method provide an economical way of hot dip coating a high manganiferous sheet steel in that, in order to produce a metallic protective layer substantially free from oxidic sub-layers on the steel strip, the % H2O/% H2 ratio of the water content % H2O to the hydrogen content % H2 in the annealing atmosphere is adjusted as a function of the respective annealing temperature TG as follows: % H2O/% H2?8·105·TG3.529.