Sodium Silicate (Water Glass) Supplier in Malaysia
- Also known as
- Water Glass
- Silicate of Soda
ChemTrade supplies sodium silicate to detergent blenders, paper mills, foundries and construction contractors across Malaysia. Sold also as water glass or liquid glass, it is supplied as a liquid solution rather than a dry powder. Origin and availability are confirmed with the quotation.
The liquid is bought by density on the Baume scale, and we carry 42, 48 and 58 degrees Baume. A higher figure means more silicate solids in the drum and less water to pay freight on, at the cost of a thicker liquid to handle. The 58 is available as a filter grade as well as industrial.
Packing runs from a 1 kg bottle for laboratory work through 30 kg pails and drums to a 1400 kg IBC tank, and food grade liquid is stocked. If your formulation calls for a dry silicate instead, what you want is sodium metasilicate, a separate product we also supply.
The other axis is the weight ratio of SiO2 to Na2O, and your process sets that rather than we do. Send the ratio, or the specification you formulate to, along with the quantity, and we will source against it instead of shipping the nearest strength we hold.
- CAS number
- 1344-09-8
- Grade
- industrial, food
- Appearance
- clear colourless to pale viscous liquid
- Availability
- Local stock
Sodium Silicate grades and forms
We supply several forms to suit different formulating and dosing setups. If you need a size that is not listed, ask us.
| Grade | Form | Assay | Typical use | Packing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium silicate 42 °Bé | clear liquid | 42 °Bé | The volume strength, and the one held in Malaysian origin material. Thin enough to pump and meter without heating, which is why plants that dose continuously default to it. Detergent blending, paper and board adhesive, and water treatment. | 30 kg pail, drum or 1400 kg IBC |
| Sodium silicate 48 and 58 °Bé | viscous liquid | 48 or 58 °Bé | More silicate solids per drum, so there is less water to pay freight on and less to drive off where the formulation cannot carry it. Heavier to pour and slower through a pump. The 58 is supplied as a filter grade as well as industrial. | drum |
| Food grade sodium silicate | liquid | 58 °Bé | Held at the 58 Baume strength. Say food grade on the enquiry and we will confirm what documentation comes with the batch being quoted rather than let you assume it. | drum |
How to buy sodium silicate from ChemTrade
Request a quote for sodium silicate
Use the form below to request a quotation. You can also email sales@chemtrademalaysia.com or send us a message on WhatsApp.
Specifications
| Parameter | Value | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | clear colourless to pale viscous liquid | — |
| Solution strength supplied | 42 to 58 °Bé | — |
| Solubility | soluble in water | — |
| Reaction in water | strongly alkaline | — |
Sodium Silicate applications
Safety and handling
- Classification
- irritant
Keep containers closed. Sodium silicate takes up carbon dioxide from the air and skins over, and once it has dried it sets to a glassy film that no longer redissolves, so rinse spills and empty lines before they cure. Store away from acids, because acidifying a silicate precipitates silica gel and releases heat. It is strongly alkaline and irritates skin, eyes and the airway, so handle with gloves and goggles and irrigate any eye splash at once.
Common questions about sodium silicate
Should I order liquid silicate or dry metasilicate?
Liquid silicate unless your own product is a dry powder. Sodium silicate is already in solution, so it can be pumped and metered, and that is what most processes use. If you are blending a powder that adding water would ruin, what you need is sodium metasilicate, a separate product we also supply.
What is the difference between sodium silicate and sodium metasilicate?
In buying terms they are two products rather than two grades of one, from different producers and in different packing. Sodium silicate is the liquid solution bought by density, in pails, drums and IBC tanks. Sodium metasilicate is a dry solid in bags, a separate product we also supply. Order whichever your specification names: putting a liquid silicate into a formulation written for the solid changes the alkalinity and the silica you are dosing, and adds water the recipe did not allow for.
Which Baume strength do I need?
Baume is a density reading, so 58 carries more silicate solids per tonne than 42 and 42 pours and pumps more easily. If you are matching an existing supply, send the strength you buy now. If you are specifying from scratch, tell us what the silicate has to do in the process and we will say which strength lands cheapest once freight is counted.
Do you supply to a specified SiO2 to Na2O ratio?
Send the ratio and we will source against it. The ratio decides how the silicate behaves, a lower one being more alkaline and a higher one leaving more silica behind, and it is set by your process rather than by us. Sending it with the enquiry avoids being quoted the nearest strength we happen to hold.
Can I use it as an adhesive?
Yes, and it is one of the larger uses. Silicate bonds paper, board and mineral surfaces by drying to a hard film rather than by curing chemically, which is why it holds corrugated board and paper tubes. Tell us the substrate and the line speed, because the strength that suits a slow hand applied joint is not the one that suits a machine.
What packing is available?
Liquid in 30 kg pails, drums and 1400 kg IBC tanks, plus a 1 kg bottle for laboratory work. We buy from several producers, so if a size on that list does not suit the way you decant, ask and we will check what can be arranged.
How is it priced?
By the tonne on enquiry, and quoted against the strength rather than the volume, since a tonne of 58 Baume holds more silicate than a tonne of 42. Prices move, so we quote a current figure with a stated validity period instead of publishing one that would soon be out of date. Send the strength, the quantity and the delivery point.