Product Overview
Propylene Glycol Technical Grade (CAS 57-55-6) is a thick, colorless, practically odorless liquid that mixes completely with water. It is the workhorse glycol for industrial buyers: heat-transfer and freeze-protection fluid makers, formulators who need a stable water-miscible solvent or humectant, and maintenance operations blending their own coolant. we distribute it in our Taylor, TX warehouse and ship it daily, from single quarts to 330-gallon totes.
This is an industrial-grade material. If your process ends up in a food, drug, or personal-care product, source a compendial grade instead — this listing is for industrial use.
Why This Concentration
Technical grade means you pay for the glycol, not for compendial testing you don't need. For freeze protection, closed-loop heat transfer, deicing blends, concrete curing aids, and general-purpose solvent work, technical grade does the same job in the tank at lower cost per gallon.
The trade-off is simple: technical grade is not certified against a pharmacopeia monograph. Pick it when your specification calls for propylene glycol by CAS number and physical performance. Pass on it when a customer audit, formulation regulation, or ingredient declaration requires a compendial grade — no amount of in-house filtration converts one into the other on paper.
Because this product ships as supplied rather than pre-diluted, you control the water ratio. Freeze-protection and heat-transfer service each demand different glycol-to-water ratios; blending on site lets you hit your target instead of paying freight on someone else's water.
Chemical Profile
Propylene glycol is a small diol — formula C3H8O2, molecular weight 76.09, CAS 57-55-6. As supplied it is a thick, colorless liquid with practically no odor. It is denser than water, with a density of 1.04 at 68 °F, so a spill sinks rather than floats. Solubility in water is effectively unlimited for practical purposes — 100 mg/mL or greater at 70 °F — which is why it disperses cleanly into aqueous systems without shear or heat. Vapor pressure is low: 0.08 mmHg at 68 °F rising to 0.13 mmHg at 77 °F. In operating terms, it does not flash off the way light solvents do; open transfer produces minimal vapor, and drum inventory does not lose volume to evaporation in normal storage.
Industrial Applications
Propylene glycol earns its shelf space by doing several unglamorous jobs well:
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Freeze protection and antifreeze service. Blended with water, propylene glycol depresses the freezing point of closed loops, fire-suppression lines, seasonal equipment, and RV or marine systems. It is the standard choice where a lower-toxicity glycol is preferred over ethylene glycol.
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Heat-transfer fluid. The same water blends circulate in chillers, hydronic loops, and process cooling. Its full miscibility with water and low vapor pressure make loop maintenance straightforward.
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Industrial solvent and carrier. Formulators use it to dissolve and carry actives in coatings, inks, cleaners, and de-icing fluids where a high-boiling, water-miscible solvent is needed.
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Humectant. Its hygroscopic character holds moisture in industrial products — adhesives, treatments, and process intermediates that must not dry out in service.
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Theatrical fog and effects fluid. Propylene glycol–water blends are the base of most glycol fog fluids, vaporized to produce dense, persistent fog.
Across all of these, the chemical's role is the same: a stable, water-loving liquid that lowers freeze points, carries solutes, and retains moisture without adding odor or color to the system.
Handling & Storage
This product is not classified as hazardous under GHS based on available data (per the product's GHS classification) — there is no signal word. That makes it one of the easier liquids in the plant to manage, but treat it like any industrial chemical: wear gloves and goggles during transfer, and ventilate enclosed transfer areas.
Store it cool, dry, and out of direct sunlight in compatible containers — HDPE, the material we pack it in, handles it well. Keep it away from strong oxidizing agents and acids. It is hygroscopic, so keep containers closed between uses; an open drum will slowly pull moisture from the air and drift your blend ratio. Housekeeping note from the warehouse floor: because it is denser than water and viscous, spills spread slowly but make floors slick — absorb promptly rather than squeegeeing.
Hazmat & Shipping
Canonical transport status is not regulated. Review the current SDS and carrier requirements before shipment.
Documentation
A Safety Data Sheet ships with every order, available in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. A lot-specific Certificate of Analysis is available for every shipment, tied to the batch on your label — what your QC receiving desk needs to release the material into your process. A Technical Data Sheet is also available for spec review before you buy.
Why Buy from Alliance Chemical
We are distributors and hazmat shipping operators, not a marketing layer between you and a tanker. Propylene Glycol Technical Grade sits in our Taylor, TX warehouse right now, and orders ship daily — quarts and gallons by parcel, drums and totes by LTL on our dock schedule. Every package goes out in DOT-compliant packaging as a matter of routine, even for non-regulated products like this one. Shipping and handling guidance on this page is reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist. If you are unsure whether technical grade fits your application, ask before you order — we would rather answer a question than process a return.
