Base Oil SN500 Supplier — Group I Solvent Neutral 500, Shipped from Turkey & the UAE

What Is Base Oil SN500?

Base Oil SN500 is a heavy paraffinic mineral base stock produced by solvent refining. The letters SN stand for Solvent Neutral — the oil is refined with a solvent to strip out aromatics, sulfur and nitrogen compounds, then dewaxed and hydro-finished. The number is the part most buyers misread: 500 is an approximate viscosity in Saybolt Universal Seconds at 100 °F, not centistokes. Converted to the modern unit, our SN500 measures 108 cSt at 40 °C.

Why blenders buy the heavy grade

A finished lubricant is rarely a single base stock. Blenders hold a light grade and a heavy grade and mix toward the SAE target. SN500 is the heavy anchor: it supplies film thickness, load-carrying capacity and high-temperature body that light grades cannot. Its high flash point (minimum 235 °C, typically 245 °C) also keeps the finished blend inside safe classification limits for storage and marine carriage.

Group I remains dominant in this role for three reasons. It has higher aromatic content and therefore better additive solvency and seal swell than Group II or III — which matters in marine and older engine formulations. It is significantly cheaper per ton. And it is the only group that naturally yields bright stock, the very heavy residual grade used alongside SN500 in gear oils and greases.

Identity and trade data

Base Oil SN500 Technical Specification

The table below is our published specification for virgin Base Oil SN500, with both the contractual limit and the typical measured result. Every consignment ships with a Certificate of Analysis carrying the actual values for that batch — not a copy of this sheet. Where your formulation has a limit tighter than shown here, tell us before we source: batches can be screened against it.

How to read this specification as a buyer

The two right-hand columns do different jobs and buyers routinely confuse them. Specification is the contractual limit — the number a rejection claim is measured against. Typical result is what recent batches actually measured. A batch at 10.8 cSt at 100 °C is fully on specification even though the typical figure is 10.9. Write your purchase contract against the specification column, and use the typical column only to predict blending behaviour.

What matters most in each line

• Viscosity at 100 °C (min 10.8 cSt) — the controlling parameter for blending. This is the number your Refutas or ASTM D7152 calculation uses, not the 40 °C figure. It is written as a minimum because a heavy anchor stock failing low is what breaks an SAE target.
• Viscosity at 40 °C (typ. 108 cSt) — reported for reference and ISO VG comparison. Note it is a typical value, not a contractual limit, so do not build a rejection clause on it.
• Flash point (min 235 °C, typ. 245 °C) — well above the 200 °C threshold that matters for marine carriage and warehouse classification. A comfortable margin here is a genuine commercial advantage in tender scoring.
• Pour point (max −3 °C) — this is a virgin heavy paraffinic stock, so the pour point sits close to zero. Finished oils for cold climates require a pour point depressant; do not assume the base stock alone will perform below freezing.
• Noack at 250 °C (max 5 wt %, typ. 3.5) — low volatility for a Group I heavy grade, meaning less oil consumption and less thickening in service. Many SN500 offers do not report Noack at all.
• Sulfur (typ. 1.2 wt %) — above 0.03 %, which is precisely what places this oil in API Group I. It is a classification marker, not a defect, but it does rule the product out of low-SAPS finished specifications.
• Colour (max 2, typ. 1.8) — a housekeeping check. Material arriving darker than its COA usually indicates thermal abuse or tank contamination in transit rather than a production fault.
• Density (893 kg/m³) — use this for volume-to-weight conversion. One metric ton occupies roughly 1,120 litres at 15 °C, which is how you verify a flexitank or ISO tank fill against the invoiced weight.

Virgin, not re-refined

This specification covers virgin base oil produced from crude fractions, not re-refined material recovered from used oil. Re-refined base oil is a legitimate product with a real market, but it is a different commodity at a different price, and it behaves differently in additive response and oxidation life. If an offer you are comparing is materially cheaper per ton, establish which of the two it is before comparing anything else. Trace metals by ICP, total acid number and colour will normally separate them in a laboratory.

Group I vs Group II vs Group III

The API 1509 classification sorts base oils by saturates content, sulfur and viscosity index. It is the first thing a formulator checks and the first thing a customs or quality dispute turns on, so it is worth being precise about where SN500 sits.

When Group I is the right answer — and when it is not

Choose Group I SN500 for marine trunk-piston and system oils, heavy-duty diesel oils in older specification tiers, industrial and automotive gear oils, greases, metalworking fluids and rubber process oils. Its aromatic content gives better additive solubility and elastomer compatibility than hydroprocessed stocks, and the cost per ton is materially lower.

Do not specify Group I where the finished oil must meet modern low-SAPS or fuel-economy engine specifications, where very low volatility is required, or where oxidation life at high temperature is the governing constraint — those call for Group II or III. If you are unsure which side of that line your formulation falls on, send us the target specification and we will say so plainly rather than sell you the wrong grade.

SN500 vs SN100, SN150 and SN350

Read down the middle column and the logic of a blending house becomes obvious. At 108 cSt our SN500 is roughly three to four times heavier than SN150 at 40 °C and about a quarter the weight of bright stock. A plant carrying SN150, SN500 and bright stock can reach almost any commercial viscosity target by ratio alone, which is why those three are the most traded Group I grades in the world.

Blending SN500 to a Target Viscosity

The most frequent technical question we get is what ratio of SN500 to SN150 produces a given SAE grade. The honest answer starts with a warning: viscosity does not blend linearly in centistokes. Mixing equal parts of a 30 cSt and a 100 cSt oil does not give 65 cSt.

Use a blending index, not an average

The standard method is ASTM D7152, or the older Refutas calculation. Convert each component's viscosity to a viscosity blending index, average the indices weighted by mass fraction, then convert the result back to viscosity. The Refutas index is:

VBI = 14.534 × ln( ln( ν + 0.8 ) ) + 10.975

where ν is kinematic viscosity in cSt at the reference temperature. Blend the indices by mass, then invert the equation. Run it on the 100 °C viscosity, because that is where SAE grades are defined and where SN500 carries its contractual minimum of 10.8 cSt. Free calculators exist, but any blending plant should hold this in a validated spreadsheet rather than trusting a web tool.

Indicative starting ratios

Where SN500 Is Used

SN500 is almost never the finished product. It is the heavy fraction of a blend, chosen for film strength and thermal body. These are the outlets that absorb most of the world's SN500 production.

Where SN500 should not be used

Being explicit about this saves buyers money and saves us returns. SN500 is not suitable for transformer or dielectric oils — those require roughly 8–12 cSt at 40 °C plus controlled dielectric strength and gassing behaviour under IEC 60296, and use naphthenic or specially hydrotreated light stocks; at 108 cSt this grade is an order of magnitude too viscous. It is not a white or food-grade oil and carries no NSF H1 or USP certification. It is not suitable for low-SAPS or fuel-economy engine specifications requiring Group II or III, and it is not a refrigeration or aviation fluid.

How Group I SN500 Is Produced

The solvent refining route has been essentially unchanged for decades. Understanding it explains why Group I properties look the way they do — and why batch-to-batch variation exists even from a single refinery.

1. 1

   Vacuum distillation

   Atmospheric residue is redistilled under vacuum to cut the heavy lubricating fraction that becomes SN500 feedstock. The cut point set here fixes the viscosity band and the flash point.

2. 2

   Solvent extraction

   Furfural or NMP selectively dissolves aromatics, sulfur and nitrogen compounds and they are drawn off as extract. This raises the viscosity index to the 87–88 range and improves oxidation stability. Extract severity is the main lever on final VI, and it is why sulfur remains at 1.2 wt % — Group I is refined, not hydrocracked.

3. 3

   Solvent dewaxing

   The raffinate is chilled with an MEK/toluene solvent mix, wax crystallises and is filtered off, bringing the pour point to its specification maximum of −3 °C. The recovered wax is sold on as slack wax and refined into paraffin wax.

4. 4

   Hydro-finishing

   A mild hydrogen treatment saturates residual unsaturates and polar compounds, improving colour, odour and storage stability. This is finishing, not hydrocracking — the oil stays Group I.

5. 5

   Batch testing and release

   Each batch is tested to ASTM D-445, D-2270, D-92, D-97, D-1500, D-4052, D-5800 and D-4951. The Certificate of Analysis records actual measured values and the batch number, and travels with the shipment.

Packaging, MOQ and Incoterms

Packaging choice is a cost decision, not a preference. Drums cost more per ton but suit smaller blenders and inland destinations without bulk discharge. Flexitanks are the cheapest route for a full container but require a discharge facility at the other end.

Minimum order quantity

The minimum order quantity (MOQ) is 14 MT — one 20-ft container of 80 drums. Flexitank and ISO tank shipments start at 20 MT because that is the minimum practical fill for those formats. Mixed containers are possible above 14 MT total, so a blender can take SN500 alongside SN150 or SN350 in a single shipment rather than holding three separate orders.

Incoterms offered

What Drives the Price — and How Long It Takes

We do not publish a fixed price per ton, and any supplier who does is either quoting stale numbers or quoting a bait figure. Group I base oil is a crude derivative that reprices continuously. What we can do is be transparent about what moves the number, so your procurement team can sanity-check any offer — ours included.

Price drivers, in rough order of weight

1. Crude benchmark. Brent or Dubai sets the floor. Base oil follows with a lag of days to weeks.
2. Regional Group I availability. European plant closures have tightened heavy grades structurally; a single refinery turnaround can move the regional number several percent.
3. Freight and equipment. Container availability and route congestion can be a larger swing factor than the oil itself on long-haul CIF business.
4. Packaging. Drums add materially per ton over flexitank; new versus reconditioned drums is a further step.
5. Volume and contract shape. A twelve-month offtake prices differently from a single spot container.
6. Incoterm and payment terms. CIF carries freight and insurance; L/C at sight carries bank cost; both sit inside the unit price.

Because these move daily, our quotations are valid for three to seven days depending on market volatility. A quote held open for a month is not a favour — it is priced with a risk margin you end up paying.

Indicative lead times

Transit times are carrier schedule estimates and exclude port congestion, customs holds and inland haulage. They are indicative, not contractual — the firm schedule appears on your quotation.

How to Verify SN500 Before You Pay

Base oil is an easy product to adulterate and a hard one to judge by eye. If you are buying from a new SN500 supplier — us included — these are the checks worth running. A supplier who resists any of them is telling you something.

Warning signs in an offer

A price far below the regional market usually means re-refined, off-spec or blended material. A refusal to provide a batch COA before payment, no fixed loading port, pressure to pay 100 % in advance to a personal account, and specification tables that contradict themselves — such as listing SN350 as heavier than SN500 — are all reasons to slow down and verify.

Export Markets and Destination Requirements

As a dual-origin Base Oil SN500 supplier we load from Mersin in Türkiye and Jebel Ali in the UAE, serving more than 40 markets. Which origin is cheaper depends entirely on your discharge port — the table below is the routing logic we apply when quoting, plus the pre-shipment conformity documents each region actually requires. Getting that paperwork wrong is the most common cause of demurrage on a first shipment.

Primary destination regions

Conformity requirements change with national regulation. The list above reflects our current export practice and is provided for planning; confirm the applicable regime with your customs broker before the letter of credit is opened. We prepare the document set once the discharge port is confirmed.

Choosing the origin that costs you less

Two loading corridors are only an advantage if the right one is selected. As a rule of thumb: for Europe, the Black Sea, North Africa and South America, Mersin is normally shorter and cheaper, and Turkish origin carries preferential duty into the EU under A.TR. For the GCC, East Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, Jebel Ali wins on both freight and transit. Buyers in West Africa should ask for both — the difference there is driven by carrier schedules that month rather than distance, and it can be substantial.

What changes by market

• Packaging preference. West and East African buyers overwhelmingly take drums, because inland discharge infrastructure is limited. GCC, European and Southeast Asian blenders take flexitanks or ISO tanks and pay materially less per ton.
• Payment norms. L/C at sight is standard for African and South Asian first shipments. Established GCC and European accounts more often work on T/T or D/P with agreed credit terms.
• Inspection. Nigerian, Kenyan and Egyptian shipments almost always require third-party pre-shipment inspection as a regulatory condition, not merely a buyer preference. Budget for it from the start.
• Seasonality. Demand for heavy grades rises ahead of monsoon and harvest cycles in South Asia and East Africa. Booking two to three weeks earlier in those windows avoids paying spot freight.
• Drum specification. Some markets require new drums only; others accept reconditioned. The price gap is real, so state your requirement in the enquiry rather than after the quote.

Contract Terms Worth Negotiating

Most disputes in base oil trading come from clauses nobody read until something went wrong. If you are moving from spot containers to an annual offtake, these are the points that decide who carries the risk. We would rather you raise them at the quotation stage than discover them at discharge.

Quantity tolerance

Bulk shipments never load to an exact figure. A ±5 % tolerance at seller's option is standard for flexitank and ISO tank cargo; drummed cargo is exact because it is counted. Make sure the invoice basis matches the tolerance: if the contract says 20 MT ±5 % and 20.8 MT loads, you pay for 20.8. Fix whether weight is determined at load port or discharge port, and by whose scale.

Which specification governs

State explicitly that the specification column of the TDS is contractual and the typical column is indicative. Without that sentence, a buyer can claim against a typical value and a seller can hide behind a wide limit. For SN500 the parameters worth naming individually are viscosity at 100 °C (min 10.8 cSt), flash point (min 235 °C), viscosity index (min 87) and colour (max 2) — those four catch almost everything that can go wrong.

Sampling and retention

Agree that samples are drawn at loading in the presence of both parties or an appointed inspector, sealed, and split three ways: one to the buyer, one to the seller, one retained sealed for at least 90 days. A quality claim without a jointly sealed retention sample is very difficult to win, and it is the single clause buyers most often omit. Name the arbitration laboratory in the contract too — after a dispute starts, agreeing on one is much harder.

Claim window and remedy

A typical window is 15 to 30 days from discharge, which is realistic for laboratory turnaround but short enough to prevent a claim after the material has been blended and sold. Define the remedy in advance: price adjustment, replacement, or return at whose cost. "To be agreed" is not a remedy clause.

Price mechanism on term contracts

For anything longer than a quarter, a fixed price is a bet both sides usually regret. The workable structures are a monthly reset against a published index, a formula linked to the crude benchmark with an agreed differential, or a fixed price with a defined trigger — for example, either party may reopen if the benchmark moves more than a set percentage. Whichever you choose, write down the publication and the pricing date, not just the intention.

Practical loading detail buyers forget

• Flexitank discharge. You need a pump and a heated bay in cold months. SN500 at −4 °C pour point will not gravity-discharge in a Northern European winter. Confirm your facility can handle it before choosing flexitank over drums.
• Drum condition. Specify new or reconditioned in the enquiry. Also specify whether you need lids with removable bungs — some blending plants cannot handle tight-head drums.
• Container liner temperature. On long South American or Northern European routes, ask about a thermal liner. It is inexpensive relative to a load that will not pump out.
• Marking and labelling. Batch number, net weight, production date and your own SKU can be printed on drum labels at loading if you request it at order stage, not after.
• Partial shipment and transhipment. If the L/C prohibits both and the carrier tranships anyway, documents are rejected. Check the routing before the credit is issued.

What We Actually Commit To

Large-volume buyers are not short of price lists. What is scarce in a Base Oil SN500 supplier is batch consistency across a contract year, one who absorbs logistics complexity, and one who says no when a grade is wrong for the application. That is the basis we work on.

Badges above denote the test methods and document formats used for this product. Certification held by the producing refinery is stated on the mill documents supplied with each shipment.

What buyers say

Customer references are anonymised at the buyers' request. Contactable trade references are available on request during contract negotiation.

Handling, Storage and Shelf Life

SN500 is not classified as dangerous goods for transport and is a low-hazard material in normal industrial use. The practical risks are contamination and water ingress rather than acute toxicity.

Base Oil SN500 — Technical and Supply FAQ