Although most people associate salt with its application as the most popular type of condiment or its usage as an ingredient in most dishes, it also has various other uses. In fact, only about 10% of the salt mined is turned into food-grade salt. The rest is used by industrial companies in a variety of ways. Industrial salt is less processed and is not suitable for human consumption. It's usually traded by the tonne, and its wholesale prices are much lower compared to regular table salt. In this post, we’ll share more about the applications of industrial salt, its market share, and the trends in this sector. Make sure to also read our post on the different salt business opportunities entrepreneurs can benefit from.
Key takeaway: Unlike table salt, which is one of the most popular restaurant spices, industrial salt is used for the production of chemicals, fabric dyeing, water treatment, and many more.
What Is Industrial Salt
The term usually describes sodium chloride in its mineral form, which is used for non-food applications. It’s produced and traded in large quantities. Industrial salt is also less pure compared to salt found in restaurant condiment holders. As such, it requires less processing and comes at much cheaper prices. Sodium chloride can come in various forms – granulated, powdered, or in blocks. The two main ways to harvest industrial salt are the evaporation of seawater and the mining of underground rock salt deposits.
The term ‘industrial salts’ is sometimes used to describe a variety of chemical compounds used in sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Examples of such salts include potassium nitrate, sodium carbonate (soda ash), ammonium nitrate, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), and potassium chloride.
Industrial Salt Uses
Sodium chloride has dozens of industrial applications. In the following paragraphs, we will share the most important ones.
- One of the main uses of industrial sodium chloride is to de-ice roads, sidewalks, railway tracks, and other surfaces. It’s often mixed with sand or used as a water solution. This application is especially common in northern states or countries with cold climates such as Canada and Scandinavian countries.
- Manufacturing materials like chlorine and caustic soda requires large amounts of sodium chloride as a raw material. Industrial salt is also used in the manufacturing of various other products and materials. Examples include the production of aluminum and the manufacturing of soap and detergents.
- Oil and gas drilling companies use industrial salt as a component in well construction and to ensure the stability of the mud during drilling.
- Salt is also used in large quantities by textile companies. It’s essential in the fabric dyeing process as it helps with absorption and improves colors.
- Industrial salt is used in the treatment of waste water. Some types of pool cleaning systems also use salt to fight algae and bacteria in pools. When it comes to water treatment, salt is also a raw material used in water softeners.
- The agricultural sector also uses large amounts of industrial salt. It’s used to control weeds and improve soil conditions. Livestock animals also need salt. That’s why it’s used as an ingredient in animal feed or as livestock licks.
- Food processing and manufacturing companies also use large quantities of salt. They rarely have the processing equipment needed to turn industrial salt into edible. That’s why it’s common for them to purchase table salt from businesses that specialize in selling spices.
The Industrial Salt Market
The global market for industrial salt plays a crucial role in various niche markets. It’s dominated by countries with well-developed industrial sectors such as China, India, the US, Canada, and Germany. The rising demand for industrial water treatment, chemicals, raw materials, and crucial components increases the importance of industrial salt in the global economy. Although this sector has a fairly small growth, it will continue to be crucial in both developed and emerging markets like Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa.
Challenges and Trends in Industrial Salt
Like any other sector of the economy, the industrial salt niche adapts to challenges and changes based on trends. Here are some of the trends and challenges in this market.
- Sustainability has also shaped the industrial salt sector. There’s a growing demand for salt mined through solar evaporation as it has a limited ecological footprint.
- Companies aim to establish short salt supply chains with local harvesters as transportation over long distances increases the price significantly. Furthermore, supply chain disruptions can also have a devastating effect on their manufacturing.
- The trend of digitalization can also be seen in B2B sales of salt. Business owners aim to find vendors that have well-developed online sales channels. This makes the ordering process smoother and helps with order tracking.
- Innovations related to inventory management of salt and other raw materials are constantly introduced. These solutions help companies reduce waste and achieve high ROI by improving their cost of goods sold.
- Increased demand for clean water has led to increased sales of industrial salt for water treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions about Industrial Salt
In addition to being a reliable eCommerce platform for wholesalers, BlueCart also has various resources on different topics. From guides on building an eco-friendly restaurant to information on how to buy wholesale products, you’ll find plenty of useful articles. Below, we’ve shared the answers to common questions regarding industrial salt.
Is Industrial Salt Different from Table Salt?
Yes, table and industrial salt differ in various key aspects. One of them is purity. As the main application of edible salt is human consumption, its purity is more than 97%. Edible salt also contains anti-caking agents that prevent clumping and has iodine. On the other hand, industrial salt is less pure and contains traces of other minerals. Another difference between these two types of salt is that industrial sodium chloride comes in large and coarse crystals or as a dissolved salt solution. Table salt is usually fine-grained or comes in small crystals (like Himalayan or sea salt) when it’s used as finishing salt.
What Is the Market Share of Food-Grade Salt?
The market share of edible salt is roughly 10% of all the salt produced worldwide. However, due to the higher prices of table salt, it accounts for about 20% of the overall global salt market revenue. In recent years, gourmet and specialty products like smoked, Celtic, and Hawaiian salt have become popular among restaurant businesses and foodies. These high-end products come at a much higher retail price. Thus, they have increased the overall revenue share of the edible salt segment.
Besides Sodium Chloride, What Are Other Popular Industrial Salts?
The term industrial salts is often used to describe a number of different chemical compounds that have vast industrial applications. Here are some of the popular industrial salts.
- Potassium chloride is primarily used as a fertilizer, water softener, and in the pharmaceutical sector;
- Calcium chloride is another type of salt that has vast applications in construction and dust control;
- Magnesium sulfate is primarily used in agriculture and chemical manufacturing;
- Sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, is primarily associated with the food and beverage industry.
- Ammonium nitrate is one of the most important salts in the fertilizer industry.
BlueCart: The Platform to Purchase Wholesale Salt for Your Business
Thousands of businesses in the food service sector use BlueCart’s marketplace to purchase products in bulk. In addition to businesses in the restaurant industry, BlueCart can also be used by retailers, dropshippers, coffee shops, hotels, and various other sectors. As a powerful wholesale ordering software, BlueCart’s solutions are tailored to the needs of vendors. Both specialized suppliers and broadline distributors can benefit from features related to order management, invoicing, route planning, and more. Schedule a demo and see how BlueCart can help your wholesale sales.