Product Overview
Sulfuric Acid 50% – Electrolyte Grade is a 50% aqueous solution of sulfuric acid: a colorless, oily, odorless liquid that is corrosive to metals and tissue. It is the workhorse strength for battery electrolyte service, water-treatment pH adjustment, and electroplating baths. Buyers are typically battery builders and rebuilders, water and wastewater operators, plating shops, and chemical manufacturers who want a strong acid already cut to a usable working strength.
We offer it in pack sizes from 1-quart bottles through 1-gallon and 5-gallon containers, 15-gallon and 55-gallon drums, and 275-gallon and 330-gallon IBC totes — all available to order, so a pilot line and a production floor can buy the same product at their own scale.
Why This Concentration
Pick 50% when your process needs full strong-acid chemistry without the handling burden of concentrated acid. At 50%, the solution is still aggressively corrosive — it carries the signal word Danger (per the product's GHS classification) — but you avoid the violent dilution exotherm of cutting concentrated acid in-house. That matters on a shop floor: dilution mistakes with high-strength acid are a leading cause of splash injuries, and buying at working strength removes the step entirely.
For transport, 50% falls under the shipping description for sulfuric acid with not more than 51 percent acid (per 49 CFR 172.101), a different entry than the one covering higher concentrations.
If your process calls for a different strength: Sulfuric Acid 37% – Battery Acid is the traditional fill strength for flooded lead-acid cells, and Sulfuric Acid 30% suits lighter pH-adjustment duty. Moving up, Sulfuric Acid 70% and Sulfuric Acid 93% Technical Grade serve processes that need more acid per gallon shipped, and Sulfuric Acid 96% ACS Grade is the strength laboratories most often request.
Chemical Profile
Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄, CAS 7664-93-9) has a molecular weight of 98.08. This 50% w/w aqueous solution is a colorless, oily liquid with a density of 1.4 at 20 °C. It is odorless and fully miscible with water, releasing heat as it mixes — always add acid to water, never the reverse. Vapor pressure is low, about 1 mmHg at 294.8 °F, so vapor hazard at room temperature is limited; the primary exposure route is direct contact. The acid is corrosive to metals and tissue and will char wood and most organic matter on contact, though it is unlikely to start a fire on its own.
Industrial Applications
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Lead-acid battery electrolyte. Sulfuric acid is the electrolyte that carries current between plates during charge and discharge. Battery shops and energy-storage builders use it to fill, top up, and rebuild flooded cells.
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pH adjustment in water treatment. As a strong acid, it moves pH fast and predictably when neutralizing alkaline process water and wastewater streams, and its dosing behavior is well understood by operators.
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Electroplating. Plating lines use sulfuric acid as the electrolyte base in acid copper and similar baths, where it maintains bath conductivity and supports uniform metal deposition.
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Chemical synthesis. It is a foundational reagent across chemical manufacturing, including fertilizer production, where a pre-diluted 50% feed simplifies metering.
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Catalysis. Sulfuric acid serves as an acid catalyst in dehydration and other organic reactions where a strong proton donor drives the process.
Handling & Storage
This product carries the signal word Danger, with hazard statements H290 — may be corrosive to metals — and H314 — causes severe skin burns and eye damage (per the product's GHS classification). Treat every transfer as a splash event waiting to happen: acid-rated gloves, goggles or a face shield, and an apron are the floor-level minimum, with an eyewash station within reach.
Store in corrosion-resistant containers — HDPE or glass — in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from heat and direct sunlight. Keep it segregated from metals and strong bases; contact with either drives an exothermic reaction. Keep neutralization material staged near the storage area so a spill response starts in seconds, not minutes. This guidance is reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist.
Hazmat & Shipping
This product ships as a regulated hazardous material. It is classified as UN2796, Hazard Class 8, Packing Group II, under the proper shipping name "Sulfuric acid, with not more than 51 percent acid" (per 49 CFR 172.101). Our team packs Class 8 corrosives daily from our Taylor, Texas warehouse in UN-rated packaging matched to the packing group.
Carrier hazmat fees and routing vary by destination and service level — request a quote and we will price the full landed cost rather than surprise you with a charge at checkout.
Documentation
A Safety Data Sheet ships free with every order and is available in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. A lot-specific Certificate of Analysis is available for the material you receive, and a Technical Data Sheet is available on request — so your receiving, EHS, and QC files are complete before the drum hits your dock.
Why Buy from Alliance Chemical
The practical reason to buy this acid from us is range and paperwork: one product, pack sizes from 1 quart to 330-gallon totes, with a governed UN2796 Class 8 classification and lot-specific documentation behind every shipment. If you are comparing suppliers, put our pack-size range and document coverage next to your current competitors' quotes and check them line by line.
Alliance Chemical has operated since 1998 and has served more than 50,000 customers. Every order of this product moves under the same DOT hazmat discipline, and the handling and shipping guidance on this page is reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist.
