N′-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-2-(5-p-tolyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylthio) acetohydrazide (HMTH) was studied as a novel corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in hydrochloric acid solution by potentiodynamic polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), chronoamperometry (CA), cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques and Quantum chemical calculation. The surface morphology of carbon steel in HCl solution in the absence and presence of HMTH was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanism of adsorption was determined from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the potential of zero charge (E pzc ). HMTH was found to be an effective corrosion inhibitor by forming a stable adsorption layer on carbon steel.