Calcium Stearates: What Are The Different Types And Applications?

Calcium Stearates

Calcium stearate is a widely used chemical compound with diverse applications in various industries. As one of the most commonly used metallic stearates, calcium stearate finds extensive use in the Indian market due to its versatility, stability, and unique properties. In this blog post, we will delve into the different types of calcium stearates and explore their wide-ranging applications in different industries and manufacturing functions.

Calcium Stearate Types:

1. Industrial Grade Calcium Stearate: 

This type of calcium stearate is primarily used in industrial applications, such as plastics, rubber, and PVC processing. It acts as a lubricant, release agent, and stabilizer, ensuring smooth processing and enhancing the end product’s physical properties.

2. Pharmaceutical Grade Calcium Stearate: 

Calcium stearate of pharmaceutical grade is widely employed in the pharmaceutical industry. It serves as a lubricant in tablet and capsule formulations, aiding in the proper flow of powders, preventing sticking, and ensuring uniformity during manufacturing processes.

3. Food Grade Calcium Stearate: 

This metallic soap variant meets stringent quality and safety standards, making it suitable for use in the food industry. Food-grade calcium stearate acts as an anticaking agent, preventing the formation of lumps in powdered food products, and as an emulsifier in various food applications.

Applications of Calcium Stearates:

1. Plastic and Rubber Industries: 

Calcium stearate is extensively used as a lubricant, mold release agent, and stabilizer in plastic and rubber processing. It improves the flow properties of polymers, reduces friction, and prevents sticking during molding, extrusion, and calendering processes.

2. PVC Industry: 

The metal stearate plays a crucial role in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It acts as an internal and external lubricant, ensuring smooth fusion of PVC resins, enhancing melt flow, and preventing plate-out during PVC processing.

3. Pharmaceutical Industry: 

In the pharmaceutical sector, calcium stearate is employed as a lubricant and glidant in tablet and capsule manufacturing. It facilitates the ejection of tablets from molds, enhances tablet hardness, and aids in maintaining dosage uniformity.

 4. Food Industry: 

Food-grade calcium stearate finds application as an anticaking agent in powdered food products, such as spices, powdered sugar, and baking mixes. It prevents clumping and ensures free-flowing characteristics, enhancing the usability and quality of food products.

5. Personal Care and Cosmetics: 

Calcium stearate is utilized in the formulation of personal care and cosmetic products. It functions as a lubricant, binder, and emulsifier, imparting desirable texture, stability, and spreadability to creams, lotions, and cosmetics.

6. Paint and Coatings Industry: 

Calcium stearate is employed as a flatting agent and viscosity modifier in the paint and coatings industry. It helps to control gloss levels, improve paint flow, and enhance pigment dispersion, leading to smooth and even coatings.

7. Construction chemicals:

Calcium stearate is a damp-proofing admixture which can provide a water-repellent layer along the capillary pores. As a result, it can reduce the permeability of concrete under non-hydrostatic conditions. It is also used as a waterproofing agent in wall putty due to its water-repellent nature.

8. Polyolefins/ petrochemicals:

Calcium Stearate is used as acid scavenger and heat Stabilizer during resin production. Calcium stearates, with their diverse types and applications, play a crucial role in various industries in India. The valuable properties of lubrication, stability, and flow enhancement, amongst others, have made calcium stearate an indispensable part of industrial production. It is very important to get the quality right of calcium stearate to ensure that its application meets every industrial standard. Platinum Industries is among the leading manufacturers of metal stearates in the metallic stearates market, including calcium. Head to our website to know more! 

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