This invention relates to a coating formulation, a coating formulation for manufacturing an electrode plate and an undercoating formulation, and their use. These coating formulations are all characterized by containing, in a polar solvent, a hydroxyl-containing resin and an organic acid and/or a derivative thereof. The hydroxyl-containing resin is at least one of (1) a polyvinyl acetal resin, (2) an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, (3) a modified and/or unmodified polyvinyl alcohol, and (4) a cyanoethyl-containing polymer. According to the present invention, there is provided a coating formulation capable of forming a coating of excellent adhesion and solvent resistance on a surface of a metal material such as an aluminum material. Also provided are a coating formulation for manufacturing an electrode plate for a battery or a polarizable electrode plate for a capacitor, in which an active material layer has excellent adhesion to a collector made of an aluminum foil, copper foil or the like and is also equipped with excellent electrolyte resistance and improved contact resistance to the collector, an undercoating formulation, the electrode plate and its manufacturing process, the battery, and the capacitor.