Abstract: The invention relates to a coating material for protecting metals, especially steel, from corrosion and/or scaling, to a method for coating metals and to a metal element. The aim of the invention is to provide a coating material that protects steel from corrosion and/or scaling and that can be welded after heat treatment of the coated steel at temperatures of more than 800° C. For this purpose, substances are provided that render the applied coating material suitable for welding, especially for spot welding. The coating material can be applied by wet chemical methods, it changes its structure when subjected to high temperature processes of more than 600° C. and is suitable as a primer for additional coating materials.