Caustic Soda Flakes Supplier — Premium Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) for Global Industries

Caustic soda flakes are used for soap and detergent saponification, pulp and paper kraft pulping, water treatment pH correction, textile mercerisation, alumina and gold processing in mining, petroleum refining, biodiesel catalysis, food processing such as olive curing, and general chemical manufacturing. Solid 98% flakes are chosen over liquid soda lye wherever the material has to travel, because the buyer is not paying freight on water.

There is no fixed published price. Caustic soda flakes track the global chlor-alkali market, so a quotation depends on assay (96%, 98% or 99%), packaging, order volume, loading origin and Incoterm. Quotations are issued dated and valid for 3-7 days. Current indicative FOB levels for both of our origins are published on our caustic soda price page.

Yes. Caustic soda and sodium hydroxide are the same compound, NaOH, CAS 1310-73-2. Sodium hydroxide is the chemical name used on safety data sheets and in regulatory filings; caustic soda is the trade name used in procurement and bulk supply. Lye, soda lye, sodium hydrate and white caustic all refer to the same material.

Flakes and pearls are chemically identical; only the physical form differs. Flakes are thin irregular pieces formed by cooling molten NaOH on a chilled drum, and pearls are uniform beads formed by prilling. Flakes dissolve faster and load more economically; pearls generate less dust and flow freely, which suits automated dosing. Pearls are normally supplied at 99% against 98% for flakes.

Most buyers should specify 98%. The 99% grade carries a small premium for tighter control of iron, chloride and carbonate, and it is worth paying only where the process is sensitive to those impurities, such as rayon, food-grade or pharmaceutical work. Soap lines, municipal water treatment, pulp and paper and general chemical use run correctly on 98% flakes.

A 20-foot container holds roughly 24 to 25 metric tons of 25 kg bags on pallets, or 26 to 27 MT when the bags are loose-loaded without pallets. Lined FIBC jumbo bags of 1,000 to 1,250 kg load 22 to 25 MT depending on bag size and the discharge equipment at destination.

Caustic soda flakes are hygroscopic and deliquescent, so they must be kept in a dry, covered, well-ventilated warehouse, off the floor, with bags sealed and away from acids, aluminium, zinc and moisture. In unopened moisture-barrier packaging the shelf life is normally 12 months from the production date. Caked material is still chemically sound but becomes difficult to dose.

The CAS number is 1310-73-2 and the EC (EINECS) number is 215-185-5. For customs, HS 2815.11 covers solid sodium hydroxide such as flakes and pearls, and HS 2815.12 covers aqueous solution or soda lye. National tariff schedules add further digits, so confirm the full code with your customs broker.

Solid caustic soda ships as UN 1823, Class 8 corrosive, Packing Group II. Solution ships as UN 1824, Class 8, Packing Group II or III. Both require an IMDG dangerous goods declaration, a Class 8 corrosive label on every package and correct container placarding.

The minimum order is one full 20-foot container, roughly 25 metric tons of bagged flakes or pearls. Multi-container loads and annual contract pricing are available, and mixed loads of flakes, pearls and other grades can be arranged within a single container.

Each shipment includes a Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of Lading, Certificate of Origin, batch-numbered Certificate of Analysis, Technical Data Sheet, Safety Data Sheet (the document older tenders still call an MSDS), Dangerous Goods Declaration and weight certificate. An insurance certificate is added under CIF, CIP or DAP, and SONCAP or PVoC conformity certificates are arranged at origin where the destination requires them.

Ask for a batch-numbered Certificate of Analysis rather than a generic specification sheet, confirm the assay tolerance in writing, check that packaging is a moisture-barrier PP bag with a PE liner, and confirm the supplier can issue the destination conformity certificate your customs authority requires. A supplier that quotes FOB and CIF side by side, with a stated validity period, is quoting a real position rather than an indication.