Caustic Soda Flakes Supplier

Caustic Soda Flakes Supply — the Short Version

Chemical name

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)

CAS number

1310-73-2

EC / EINECS number

215-185-5

HS code

2815.11 solid · 2815.12 solution

UN number

1823 solid · 1824 solution

Transport class

IMDG Class 8, Packing Group II

Standard assay

98% NaOH ±1 (flakes)

Minimum order

25 MT (1 × 20′ FCL)

Loading ports

Jebel Ali (UAE), Mersin (Türkiye)

Standard packing

25 kg PP bag + PE liner; 1,000–1,250 kg FIBC

Shelf life

12 months, unopened moisture-barrier packaging

Also known as

Lye, soda lye, sodium hydrate, white caustic

Physical and Chemical Properties of NaOH Flakes

Caustic soda flakes and caustic soda pearls are the same compound in different physical forms, so every property below applies to both. The figures are the accepted reference values for pure sodium hydroxide and are the ones your process engineers, HSE team and freight forwarder will each need.

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Two of these properties decide most commercial questions on this page. Deliquescence is why the material has to travel in a moisture-barrier bag and why a supplier who ships in a plain woven PP sack will deliver a caked container. The exothermic heat of solution is why dilution procedure, not purity, is the usual cause of incidents on site — the practical rules are set out in our guide to storing caustic soda safely.

Caustic Soda Grades and Typical Analysis

We supply every commercial form of membrane-grade sodium hydroxide produced by the chlor-alkali process. Caustic soda flakes at 98% remain the most cost-effective option for international buyers because they carry the highest NaOH payload per container — a point worked through in the comparison further down this page.

Typical batch analysis — caustic soda flakes 98%

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How Caustic Soda Flakes Are Made

Every tonne of caustic soda in world trade starts as brine. Knowing which cell technology produced it tells you more about the impurity profile than any marketing claim, so it is worth understanding the four steps between salt water and the flake in the bag.

1. Brine purificationSaturated sodium chloride brine is treated to strip calcium, magnesium and sulphate, which would otherwise foul the cell membrane. The quality of this step sets the ceiling on final product purity.
2. Membrane-cell electrolysisDirect current splits the brine into chlorine at the anode, hydrogen at the cathode and a caustic soda solution of roughly 32%. Membrane cells are now the dominant technology because they yield low-salt caustic without the mercury of older cells or the asbestos diaphragms being phased out in the United States.
3. Multi-effect evaporationThe 32% liquor is concentrated to 50% soda lye — the form sold as liquid caustic — and then driven to roughly 99% anhydrous molten NaOH in a final concentrator.
4. Flaking and packingMolten caustic is poured onto a chilled rotating drum, solidifies in a thin film and is scraped off as flakes, then screened and packed immediately into moisture-barrier bags. Pearls are made instead by prilling — dropping molten NaOH through a cooling tower — which is why pearls typically carry the higher 99% assay.

The practical consequence for a buyer is that the carbonate figure on a COA is a freshness indicator. Sodium hydroxide reacts with atmospheric CO₂ to form sodium carbonate, so material that has been sitting in poor packaging shows a rising Na₂CO₃ value and a falling assay. A full walkthrough of the chemistry is on our page covering how caustic soda is made.

Flakes vs Pearls vs Liquid — How to Choose

All three forms are chemically identical sodium hydroxide. They differ in freight efficiency, handling, dust and shelf stability — and for an importer the freight column usually decides the question on its own.

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The practical rule. If the material has to cross an ocean, buy solid. A container of 50% soda lye is half water by weight, so you pay full ocean freight, port charges and dangerous-goods handling on roughly seven tonnes of usable NaOH instead of twenty-four. Liquid only wins where the plant sits close to the discharge port, has bulk tankage and values skipping the dissolution step — and even then the arithmetic is worth running, which we set out on caustic soda flakes vs liquid caustic soda.

Between flakes and pearls the difference is operational, not chemical. Pearls cost slightly more and are worth it where dust control matters, where a screw feeder needs free-flowing material, or where the process is genuinely sensitive to iron, chloride or carbonate — rayon and viscose, food contact, pharmaceutical intermediates. Soap lines, municipal water treatment, kraft pulping and general chemical manufacture run correctly on 98% flakes.

Export Packaging and Container Loading

Caustic soda is deliquescent — it pulls moisture out of the air and cakes. Our bags are specified for long sea voyages through humid transit ports such as Jebel Ali, Singapore and Djibouti, where a single-layer woven sack will not survive the journey intact.

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Why the liner matters. The specification we ship is a woven polypropylene outer with a separate low-density polyethylene inner liner, heat-sealed. The outer takes the mechanical abuse of stuffing and stripping; the inner is the actual moisture barrier. A bag described only as "PP bag" with no liner is a different, cheaper product, and it is the most common reason a buyer receives a caked container and a rejected batch.

Storage and shelf life. Keep flakes in a dry, covered, well-ventilated warehouse, off the floor on pallets, bags closed, and well away from acids, aluminium, zinc and any water source. In unopened moisture-barrier packaging the shelf life is 12 months from the production date printed on the bag. Caked material is still chemically sound — the assay has barely moved — but it becomes difficult to weigh and dose, which is a production problem rather than a quality one.

Private label. Custom bag printing with your brand, neutral unbranded packing, and market-specific labelling in English, French, Arabic, Turkish or Portuguese are available with a 2–3 week lead time added to the production schedule.

What Caustic Soda Flakes Are Used For

Twelve industries that buy our caustic soda flakes, pearls and liquid soda lye. Each links to a detailed page covering dosing, grade selection and the specific quality parameters that matter in that process.

Handling, PPE and Exposure Limits

Sodium hydroxide is classified as skin corrosive category 1A under GHS and CLP. It causes deep, painless-at-first burns and serious eye damage, and unlike an acid burn the tissue destruction continues until the material is completely removed. The following is orientation for a procurement or HSE team — it does not replace the Safety Data Sheet, which we issue with every shipment.

Occupational exposure limits

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First response

Eyes — flush immediately with running water for at least 20 to 30 minutes, holding the eyelids open, and obtain medical attention urgently. Skin — remove contaminated clothing while flushing with copious water for at least 15 minutes; do not attempt to neutralise a caustic burn with an acid. Ingestion — do not induce vomiting, rinse the mouth, give water only if the person is fully conscious, and seek emergency medical help. Spill — keep dry, sweep or vacuum the solid without raising dust, collect into a sealed labelled container, and only then wash the residue with plenty of water to a permitted drain. Detailed storage layout, segregation distances and warehouse practice are covered in our caustic soda storage guide.

Transport and regulatory classification

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Certified food-grade, low-iron and NSF/ANSI 60 material is sourced against the relevant standard for the individual order and the certification is issued per shipment. Confirm the exact requirement at enquiry stage so the correct production source is nominated before booking.

Quality Control, Inspection and Export Documents

The documentation pack is where a real exporter separates itself from a broker forwarding an offer. Every consignment ships with the following as standard, at no additional cost.

Independent pre-shipment inspection by SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek is available on request, at buyer's cost or shared cost depending on the contract terms. Where a letter of credit calls for a specific inspection certificate, name the requirement in the enquiry so it is priced into the quotation rather than discovered at the negotiation stage.

If you are evaluating an unfamiliar supplier — ours included — our guide to checking caustic soda quality sets out which COA parameters actually indicate a problem and which are cosmetic.

Markets Served: Six Regions from Two Origins

Two loading origins give buyers a genuine freight choice rather than a single fixed route. Mersin serves Europe, the Black Sea and Central Asia efficiently; Jebel Ali serves East Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and the west coast of South America.

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What Determines the Caustic Soda Flakes Price

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Current indicative levels by grade and loading origin, refreshed on a published review cycle, are maintained on our caustic soda flakes price page, alongside the wider caustic soda price board and CIF indications for individual destination countries. For a firm, dated figure against your own volume, port and Incoterm, send the enquiry below and you will have a quotation within 24 business hours.

How to Order — From Enquiry to Bill of Lading

A complete first enquiry gets a firm quotation in one round trip instead of four. These are the eight lines we need in order to price your container accurately.

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1. Enquiry and quotationSend the eight lines above by WhatsApp or email. You receive a dated quotation, valid 3–7 days, showing FOB and CIF side by side so the freight component is visible rather than buried.
2. Sample and documentsA current batch COA, TDS and SDS at no cost. Physical samples are dispatched by courier on request.
3. Proforma invoice and contractProforma issued against the accepted quotation, setting out specification, tolerance, packaging, Incoterm, payment terms and delivery window in writing.
4. Production, inspection and loadingBatch produced or allocated, COA issued, optional third-party inspection carried out, container stuffed and sealed at the load port.
5. Documents and sailingFull document set — invoice, packing list, B/L, Certificate of Origin, COA, TDS, SDS, DG declaration and any conformity certificate — released per the agreed payment terms.

Typical lead time is 7–14 working days from confirmed order to loading, depending on grade, packaging and whether a destination conformity certificate has to be arranged before shipment. Multi-container and annual contracts run to an agreed shipment schedule.

Caustic Soda Flakes FAQ