The grade of a chemical tells you how pure it is, which impurities are limited, which standard it meets and how strictly the plant is controlled. Technical and industrial grades suit manufacturing uses. Food and pharma grades must meet a named food or pharmacopoeia standard and are made under tighter systems.
Grade names are not regulated in the same way everywhere. Always define the grade in your specification rather than relying on the word alone.
The common grades
- Technical grade is made for industrial processes. It has a stated main assay but looser limits on impurities, colour and moisture.
- Industrial grade is often used to mean the same as technical grade. Some suppliers use it for a slightly tighter product, so check the numbers.
- Food grade meets a recognised food additive standard, such as the Food Chemicals Codex, JECFA specifications or EU food additive purity criteria. Limits on heavy metals and specific impurities are strict.
- Pharma grade meets a pharmacopoeia monograph, such as the Indian, British, European or United States Pharmacopoeia. It is made under good manufacturing practice with full batch records.
- Reagent or analytical grade is very pure material for laboratories, sold in small packs.
Purity is not the only difference
Two products can both be 99% pure and still differ in grade. What matters is the remaining 1%. A food or pharma grade limits named impurities such as lead, arsenic, mercury and residual solvents. A technical grade may not test for them at all.
The plant matters too. Food grade material should come from a site with a food safety system and controls against cross-contamination. Pharma grade requires GMP: documented processes, change control, validated cleaning and traceable batches. A technical grade plant can make a product that passes a food test once, but it cannot promise the same every time.
Choosing the right grade
Buy the grade your use and your regulator require, not more. Paying for pharma grade in a cleaning product wastes money. Using technical grade in food is illegal in most markets.
When you ask for food or pharma grade, name the standard and its edition, and ask for the plant's certificates. Check that the COA reports every test in that standard. Our guide to the certificate of analysis explains how to read one, and the technical data sheet shows typical properties.
Grades in your specification
The safest approach is to describe the grade by its numbers, not its name. List the main assay, the impurities you need limited, their limits and the test methods. If you need a food or pharma standard, name it with its edition and ask for every test it contains. Ask the supplier to confirm in writing that the plant is licensed and certified to make that grade. Then check that the label, COA and invoice all show the same grade. A mismatch between documents is a common cause of customs holds and customer complaints.
Next step
We match the grade to your use, check the plant's certificates and have lots tested against the standard you name. Book a free sourcing review.