Product Overview
Sodium Hydroxide 25% is a ready-to-use aqueous caustic soda solution supplied as a colorless, odorless liquid. At 25% concentration, it delivers strong alkalinity in a pumpable, liquid form that water-treatment operators, chemical process engineers, and industrial cleaning crews can meter directly into their systems without the dissolution step that flake or bead NaOH demands.
Alliance Chemical offers this product in pack sizes from a single quart up to 330-gallon totes, covering everything from bench-scale titration work to continuous bulk dosing loops. Every shipment is classified and documented under DOT hazmat requirements and reviewed by our operations team.
Why This Concentration
A 25% NaOH solution sits at a practical midpoint for liquid caustic handling. It is concentrated enough to move meaningful alkalinity per gallon — useful in pH neutralization, CIP circuits, and reaction vessels — while remaining fluid at ambient temperatures. Higher-concentration caustic (typically 50%) can crystallize near its freezing point and demands heat-traced lines; at 25%, that risk drops sharply, which simplifies storage and transfer in facilities without steam tracing.
The trade-off is volume: because half the active ingredient has been replaced by water, freight and tank capacity cost more per pound of NaOH delivered. For operations that consume moderate volumes or that value handling simplicity over raw economy, 25% is the standard choice. Buyers whose processes require tighter analytical controls — titrations, standard preparations, or QC workflows — should consider Sodium Hydroxide 25% ACS Grade, which carries a defined grade designation for laboratory procurement.
Chemical Profile
Sodium hydroxide (CAS 1310-73-2, molecular formula HNaO, molecular weight 39.997) in 25% aqueous solution presents as a colorless, odorless liquid that is denser than water, with a density of 1.27 at 20 °C. It is highly soluble in water. The solution exerts essentially no vapor pressure at room temperature, which means operator exposure during open transfers is primarily a splash and contact risk rather than an inhalation hazard. Contact with skin, eyes, or mucous membranes can cause severe irritation or burns (per the product's GHS classification). It is corrosive to many metals.
Industrial Applications
Sodium hydroxide 25% is a workhorse alkali across several sectors. Its liquid form makes it especially suited to automated dosing and inline injection.
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Water Treatment — pH Adjustment: Municipal and industrial water plants dose NaOH to raise pH in acidic influent streams, stabilize distribution-system water to reduce pipe corrosion, and condition process water before discharge. The 25% concentration is well matched to metering pumps and chemical feed skids common in mid-size facilities.
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Chemical Manufacturing: Caustic soda serves as a reactant or pH-control agent in the production of soaps, detergents, surfactants, and a range of organic and inorganic intermediates. Liquid NaOH eliminates the dissolution tank required by dry forms, shortening batch cycle times.
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Saponification: Soap makers use sodium hydroxide to hydrolyze fats and oils into glycerol and fatty-acid salts. A pre-dissolved 25% solution allows precise metering into the reaction kettle, reducing the risk of localized hot spots that concentrated lye can create in raw-fat blends.
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Industrial Cleaning: NaOH solutions cut grease, dissolve organic residues, and strip built-up deposits from tanks, heat exchangers, and process piping. Clean-in-place (CIP) circuits in food processing and beverage plants routinely circulate dilute caustic drawn down from a 25% bulk supply.
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Laboratory Reagent: Analytical and research labs use sodium hydroxide solution for titrations, sample preparation, and pH buffer formulation. The liquid format eliminates weighing and dissolving steps, improving consistency between preparations.
Handling & Storage
Sodium hydroxide 25% carries the signal word Danger (per the product's GHS classification). Relevant hazard statements: H290 — may be corrosive to metals; H314 — causes severe skin burns and eye damage (per the product's GHS classification).
PPE: At minimum, wear chemical-splash goggles, a face shield, chemical-resistant gloves (neoprene or butyl rubber), and a chemical-resistant apron. Full-body protection is warranted during drum transfers or any operation with splash potential.
Incompatibilities: Keep away from strong acids — contact produces a violent exothermic reaction. Do not store near aluminum, zinc, tin, or galvanized surfaces; NaOH corrodes these metals and can generate hydrogen gas. Use HDPE, polypropylene, or stainless-steel containers and fittings.
Storage: Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area in tightly sealed containers. Avoid moisture ingress into headspace, which can cause concentration drift. Keep containers upright on secondary containment rated for the full volume. Inspect closures and bungs routinely — caustic can creep past degraded gaskets.
Hazmat & Shipping
Sodium Hydroxide 25% is a regulated hazardous material for transport. Every outbound shipment from Alliance Chemical is classified, marked, labeled, and documented per DOT requirements.
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UN Number: UN1824 (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Hazard Class: 8 — Corrosive (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Packing Group: II (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Proper Shipping Name: Sodium hydroxide solution (per 49 CFR 172.101)
Shipping papers, placarding, and packaging all follow Class 8 / PG II requirements. Receivers should be prepared to accept a hazmat freight delivery and verify their facility can handle corrosive-liquid containers at the ordered volume.
Documentation
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) ships with every order and is available in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. A Technical Data Sheet (TDS) is also available for process-engineering reference. Lot-specific Certificates of Analysis (COA) can be requested to verify the analytical profile of your particular shipment — contact our team to request one with your order.
Why Buy from Alliance Chemical
This product ships in packs ranging from a single quart to 330-gallon totes — a span that lets you match your purchase to actual consumption without forcing a minimum-order commitment at either end. Alliance Chemical has served over 50,000 customers since 1998, and every hazmat shipment is prepared at our Taylor, Texas warehouse under procedures reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist (USDOT #2188383).
