Summary. Industrial and technical are commercial labels, not pharmacopoeial grades; the numbers on the TDS and the batch Certificate of Analysis (CoA) define the material you receive. Supreme Petro Chemicals supplies acetone in industrial and technical grades only, and does not offer or claim IP, BP, USP, AR, LR or HPLC grades. Verify any grade claim against the batch CoA for the lot, never against the product name alone.
Suppliers use labels such as industrial, technical, commercial, LR, AR and pharma grade, and not all of them point to a published standard. This guide explains how to read grade claims on acetone (CAS 67-64-1, HSN 2914 11 00), using the TDS for one line we supply as a worked example, and how to check a claim before you buy. It is a buyer's guide, not a specification: the facts about our own supply are on the acetone product page.
Why acetone grade names confuse buyers
In general, a grade name only means something when it points to a document. Pharmacopoeial grades (IP, BP, USP) point to a monograph in a pharmacopoeia. Analytical reagent (AR) grades point to a reagent specification with lot analysis. Indian Standards such as IS 170 point to a published specification. By contrast, words like industrial, technical and commercial have no single definition. They are a supplier's shorthand for a solvent sold for manufacturing and cleaning rather than for laboratory or pharmaceutical use. (This paragraph is general knowledge about how grade labels are used, not an SPC specification.)
The practical result is that two drums both described as industrial acetone can differ in water content, methanol or residue. The label cannot tell you. The data sheet and the batch CoA can.
What industrial and technical mean for SPC's acetone
SPC is a trader, importer and bulk distributor in Chennai. We supply acetone in two grades, industrial and technical, with assay shown as 99.5% min by GC on our product data. Technical grade is not food grade and not pharma grade. For one line, made by Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited (HOCL), the TDS (SPC-TDS-KET-001), which carries the HOCL manufacturer's published specification, states the grade as IS 170 : 2020 and lists purity by GC at 99.70 wt% min.
Worked example: reading an acetone TDS
The table below takes parameters from the HOCL specification on the TDS. The right-hand column is general knowledge about why a buyer might care about each parameter; it is not part of the specification.
| Parameter | TDS requirement | Why a buyer may care (general knowledge) |
|---|---|---|
| Purity by GC | 99.70 wt% min | Sets how much of the drum is acetone; the balance is water and impurities. |
| Water content | 0.40 wt% max | Matters in moisture-sensitive coatings, adhesives and reactions. |
| Methanol | 300 ppm max | A common impurity of interest where odour, toxicity or side reactions matter. |
| Benzene | 2 ppm max | A hazardous impurity, so a low limit matters for worker exposure and some end uses. |
| Residue on evaporation | 5 mg/100 ml max | Non-volatile matter left behind when the solvent dries; relevant to cleaning and finish. |
| Acidity as CH3COOH | 0.002 g/100 ml max | Acidic impurities can affect metal surfaces and sensitive formulations. |
| Colour | 10 H.U. max | A visual quality check, relevant for clear formulations. |
| Relative density at 27/27 °C | 0.7840 to 0.7860 | A quick identity and consistency check. |
Source: TDS SPC-TDS-KET-001 (HOCL specification, IS 170 : 2020) for the first two columns; the right-hand column is general knowledge.
The same TDS also lists a distillation range, alkalinity, a permanganate time test, an alcoholic-impurities test and a miscibility-with-water test. All of them are in the specifications section of the product page.
Two assay figures on one page
You may see 99.5% on one document and 99.70% on another. Here is exactly what each says. Our product data gives acetone assay as 99.5% min by GC. The TDS (SPC-TDS-KET-001) gives purity by GC for the HOCL line as 99.70 wt% min. We read these as describing different documents and possibly different scopes, but that is our interpretation, not something either document states. The rule is simple: match each number to the document and the lot it came from. If your process needs a particular assay or impurity limit, state it on your enquiry and ask us to confirm it against the documents for the line you are buying.
What pharma, AR, LR and HPLC grades are
This section is general knowledge, to help you tell grades apart. Pharmacopoeial grade acetone is tested against the requirements of a pharmacopoeia such as IP, BP or USP, and the certificate refers to that monograph. AR and LR (laboratory reagent) grades are defined by reagent specifications, usually with tighter impurity limits and a lot analysis. HPLC grade adds suitability for chromatography, such as low UV absorbance and low residue. Each of these needs its own documentation, and none can be inferred from the word pharmaceutical on a product page.
SPC does not offer or claim any of these grades for acetone. If your process needs one, ask for the grade documentation before anything else.
Pharmaceutical processing is a use, not a grade
Acetone appears in our applications list under pharmaceutical processing, alongside paints and thinners, adhesives, nail products, resin and polymer cleaning, and degreasing. That describes where buyers use the solvent, as a process and equipment-cleaning solvent. It does not mean the acetone is pharma grade. Whether industrial or technical material is acceptable for a pharmaceutical step is a decision for the buyer's quality team under its own approval procedure; we can only supply the documents that let them make it.
How to verify a grade claim in six steps
- Ask for the TDS and note the document number and date. Ours is SPC-TDS-KET-001.
- Read the grade field and the standard cited, including the edition year printed on the document.
- Check who the manufacturer is on the data sheet, and whether the sheet describes the line you are buying.
- Compare each parameter limit with your own incoming-inspection limits.
- Ask for the batch Certificate of Analysis. A batch CoA is supplied with every delivery, and it reports the actual results for that lot against the limits.
- Treat any claim that appears on neither the TDS nor the CoA as unconfirmed.
Standard editions and year labels
Standards are revised, and listings online often quote different years for the same standard. We state IS 170 : 2020 only because it is printed in the grade field of the TDS, and we state no other edition. When your purchase order cites a standard, quote the edition too, and ask the supplier to confirm it against the document.
What to send with your enquiry
To get a useful quote, send the grade you want, any assay or impurity limits, the quantity, the pack (200 L barrel, 1000 L IBC tank, bulk tanker or 160 kg drum; we confirm which apply to the line), the delivery location and the documents your quality team needs, through the contact page. We quote within 4 working hours.