Industrial salt supply and uses

) or other salts used in chemical manufacturing (like chlorine, caustic soda), water treatment, de-icing, textiles, paper, and oil/gas, differing from food-grade salt by tolerance for impurities, with extraction via mining, solar evaporation, or vacuum evaporation. Key forms include rock salt and vacuum salt, available in various purities and crystal sizes for specific industrial needs, notes Sanvaria Chemicals and K+S Aktiengesellschaft.Industrial salt is high-purity sodium chloride (𝑁𝑎𝐶𝑙NaClcap N a cap C l

Types & Production

• Source:Mined from underground deposits (rock salt) or extracted from brine (sea/lake water) through solar or vacuum evaporation.
• Grades:Ranges from ~98.5% purity (e.g., for general industry) to >99.5% (e.g., for specific chemical processes).
• Forms:Available as crystalline, granules, or molten salt (heated liquid salt) for high-temp applications.

Key Applications

• Chemicals: Raw material for soda ash, chlorine, caustic soda.
• Textiles: Dye enhancer, processing agent.
• Water Treatment: Softening (brine for ion exchange) and de-icing roads.
• Oil & Gas: Drilling fluids, refinery processes (Merox).
• Other: Leather tanning, paper, animal feed, paints, metallurgy.

Key Properties for Industry

• .High purity of𝑁𝑎𝐶𝑙NaClcap N a cap C l
• Specific crystal sizes (fine, coarse, extra coarse).
• Low moisture content.
• High thermal stability (for molten salt).

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Major Uses for Industrial Salt
Rock salt has been around for a while, but since this product has so many widespread uses, the industrial salt market has become more competitive over time. This motivates manufacturers and consumers alike to determine the most competitive industrial uses for salt.

Infographic showing the main industrial uses of salt, including chemical manufacturing, road deicing, water treatment, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and salt mining
What is Industrial Salt?
Industrial salt is a broad category of salt used in various industrial applications. It includes different types of salt, such as rock salt and refined salts, which are processed to meet specific purity levels required for industrial purposes. The salt industry caters to industries like chemical manufacturing, oil drilling, pharmaceuticals, and road deicing, where industrial salt plays a critical role in processes that require large quantities of this versatile mineral.

Rock salt is widely known for common uses like deicing and food preservation. Learn more in our post: What Is Rock Salt Used For? Key Uses & Benefits.

Now, let’s explore how industrial salt powers entire industries around the world.

What Is Sodium Chloride Used For?
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is the most widely used form of industrial salt and plays a central role across multiple sectors. In chemical manufacturing, sodium chloride is essential for producing chlorine, caustic soda, and soda ash—key inputs for detergents, solvents, plastics, paper, and textiles. Its ability to separate and stabilize chemical compounds makes it fundamental in soap and detergent production.

Beyond chemical processing, sodium chloride uses extend to energy and infrastructure. Large quantities are used in solar ponds and other energy-producing facilities to maintain controlled salinity levels. It is also a critical material for road deicing, water treatment, and industrial processes where cost efficiency and consistent chemical composition are required.

Because sodium chloride is abundant, versatile, and cost-effective, demand continues to grow globally. Industries increasingly rely on diversified supply sources—including rock salt from salt mines and solar salt—to ensure stable availability and manage price fluctuations over time.

Industrial Salt Uses
In the oil industry, industrial salt is used to increase the density of mud and soil, which creates a safer and more efficient drilling rig. Although salt may not be used extensively in offshore drilling, enormous amounts of industrial salt are required to facilitate drilling on land. Pharmaceutical companies also use salt in the process of making capsules, as well as in the production of saline solutions, which have widespread secondary industrial uses of salt. Saline solutions are not only useful for contact solution but also for intravenous formulas. Salt use by the medical and pharmaceutical companies accounts for a large percentage of the total national industrial salt usage.

Of course, the majority of the world’s industrial salt is used to deice roads and to create a safer driving surface, not only for the public but for government use as well. Sixty to eighty percent of globally mined salt is used to improve the safety of public transit in one capacity or another, but usually to decrease the freezing point of snow and ice.

Salt is often spread on roads prior to inclement weather, allowing a surface layer of brine to provide further protection against ice.

Industrial Salt Market
Chemical production relies heavily on industrial salt as well, as industrial salt is used as a filler for detergents and solvents, causing the chemical to be more rapidly dissolved in water. Since salt separates many of the components required for making soap, chemical industries include large amounts of industrial salt in the process of making soap.

Solar ponds and other energy-producing facilities require large amounts of salt to maintain a necessary salinity, adding to the application of industrial salt as an energy producer.

Since salt is relatively cheap and available in large quantities in South America and Africa, rock salt and industrial salt come into increasing demand with the increased availability of solar energy.

Clearly, industrial salt has widespread application, which means increased demand over time. Although industrial salt may not be the world’s rarest resource, its high demand for safety and manufacturing purposes means that salt prices will continue to fluctuate for the foreseeable future. In order to ensure a flowing salt pipeline, most industrial salt consumers are considering salt from a variety of global sources.

Salt Mines as a Key Source of Industrial Salt
A significant share of industrial salt is extracted from salt mines, where underground deposits formed millions of years ago are accessed using controlled mining techniques such as the room-and-pillar method. Salt mines provide a stable, year-round supply of rock salt with consistent chemical composition, making them especially valuable for applications like road deicing, chemical processing, and water treatment. The reliability and scale of salt mines allow industries to secure large volumes of industrial salt while maintaining predictable quality and logistics planning.

Large natural salt mountains, showcasing the scale and abundance of natural salt deposits.
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