Every mud program runs on a handful of commodity chemicals — caustic soda, soda ash, lime, calcium chloride, and a few others — bought by the tonne. Ironstone supplies them at standard commodity grades, with a certificate of analysis for every batch, and consolidates them into a container with your other drilling products.
| Chemical | Job in the mud | Standard grade |
|---|---|---|
| Caustic soda (NaOH) | Raises and maintains pH / alkalinity | 99% flakes or pearls |
| Soda ash (Na₂CO₃) | Softens make-up water, removes calcium hardness | Dense, ≥ 99% alkalinity |
| Caustic potash (KOH) | Alkalinity in potassium-based systems | 90% flakes |
| Hydrated lime (Ca(OH)₂) | Alkalinity and lime for oil-based mud | ≥ 90% Ca(OH)₂ |
| Calcium chloride (CaCl₂) | Brine density and shale-inhibition brines | 94–97% pellets / 74–77% flakes |
| Citric acid | Lowers pH, treats cement contamination | Monohydrate, ≈ 99.5% |
For dense bagged chemicals a shipping container fills up by weight long before it fills up by space — so the limit is the payload, not the volume. As a working figure, one 20-foot container holds roughly 18 to 22 tonnes of bagged product, which is about 720 to 880 bags of 25 kg, palletized (40 bags make one tonne on a standard pallet). The exact figure depends on the product density, the pallet configuration, and the road-weight limit at the destination, so confirm the final count with your freight forwarder.
40 × 25 kg bags = 1 tonne. A 20-foot container reaches its weight limit near 18–22 tonnes of dense chemical — it is over weight long before it is over space.
Some of these chemicals are classed as dangerous goods for sea freight and some are not. It changes the paperwork and the consolidation, so it is worth knowing before you order:
| Chemical | Dangerous good? | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Caustic soda (solid) | Yes — UN 1823 | Class 8, corrosive |
| Caustic potash (solid) | Yes — UN 1813 | Class 8, corrosive |
| Soda ash | No — not regulated | — |
| Calcium chloride | No — not regulated | — |
| Hydrated lime | No — not regulated | — |
| Citric acid | No — not regulated | — |
| Biocides (glutaraldehyde, THPS, etc.) | Yes — varies by product | Per the product safety data sheet |
Dangerous-goods classification for biocides and any liquid or concentrated form varies by manufacturer and concentration. Always declare and transport per the actual product safety data sheet (Section 14), not a general table. We confirm the dangerous-goods status of every line and quote any dangerous-goods surcharge separately.
Bulk chemicals ship in 25 kg bags (or 1-tonne bulk bags where volume justifies it), palletized. Price basis is FOB China or CIF your port in USD; we quote an indicative CIF price on request and consolidate these commodities with your other drilling products to fill a container efficiently. Send your list and port on WhatsApp for a firm price.