Purpose This paper aims to investigate the corrosion behaviour of heat-treated and cryorolled Al 5052 alloys in different Cl− ion concentrations. Design/methodology/approach NaCl solutions with concentrations of 0, 0.5, 3.5 and 5.5 per cent were selected. Samples were subjected to pre-heat treatment (annealing at 300 °C and solution treatment at 540 °C) and cryorolling up to 30 per cent reduction before undergoing corrosion tests. The corrosion behaviour of the samples was then investigated by potentiodynamic polarization. The microstructure of the corroded samples was evaluated under an optical microscope, and the percentages of pits on their surfaces were calculated. Findings The cryorolled samples had a lower corrosion rate than the samples that were not cryorolled. The cryorolled sample that underwent solution treatment showed the highest corrosion resistance among all the samples tested. Practical implications The commercial impact of the study is the possibility of using the cryorolled Al alloy in various ion chloride environment. Originality/value The obtained results help in understanding the corrosion behaviour of cryorolled samples under different heat treatment conditions.