An acrylic copolymer emulsion that facilitates the formulation of coatings to less than or equal to 50 g/L VOC for use in light to medium duty maintenance and protective coatings applications and general industrial metal finishing applications. It offers excellent exterior durability and corrosion resistance, and ease of formulation with excellent paint stability. The product offers improved corrosion resistance versus current direct-to-metal (DTM) finish coats formulated below 100 g/L.