Nitric acid is a strong oxidising acid used wherever metals must be cleaned, pickled, or nitrated. Because it is both corrosive and a powerful oxidiser, it demands more careful storage and handling than a simple mineral acid.
Supreme Petro Chemicals supplies nitric acid from Chennai to metal-processing, chemical, and laboratory buyers across South India.
What Is Nitric Acid?
Nitric acid has CAS number 7697-37-2 and molecular formula HNO3. Commercial concentrations are typically around 60–70%; fuming grades are higher and more aggressively oxidising. Always specify concentration, because handling and material compatibility change sharply with strength. For the identifier itself — how the check digit is verified, and how nitric acid sits alongside 19 other chemicals we stock — see our CAS number reference.
Industrial Applications
The five applications below are the ones we supply against from Chennai. All of them are typically run on commercial-strength acid; where a process is validated around a specific strength or grade, state it on the enquiry.
Metal pickling and passivation
Nitric acid removes scale, weld discolouration, and embedded iron from stainless steel, then rebuilds the passive chromium-oxide layer that gives the steel its corrosion resistance. Pickling and passivation are usually run as separate baths at different strengths and temperatures, so specify the duty when you enquire — the mix that strips scale is not the one that passivates a finished part.
Nitration chemistry
As a nitrating agent in organic synthesis, nitric acid introduces the nitro group that turns base aromatics into dye, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical intermediates. Nitration duty is the most demanding on acid quality and water content, so confirm the assay on the Certificate of Analysis against your process specification before the material enters the plant.
Electroplating
Plating shops use nitric acid for pre-treatment pickling, for stripping defective deposits off rejected parts, and in bright-dip work on copper and brass. Bath performance depends on controlled acid strength, which is why plating buyers order to a tight receiving specification and check specific gravity at the gate.
Fertiliser intermediates
Nitric acid is a feedstock for nitrate salts used in fertiliser and downstream chemical production. This duty consumes the acid in bulk, which is where tanker supply rather than carboy supply becomes the economic mode.
Laboratory reagent
Laboratories use nitric acid as a digestion and analytical reagent, most commonly in sample preparation ahead of metals analysis. Reagent work is grade-specified: state the grade and standard your method requires, because commercial-strength industrial material and a validated laboratory grade are not interchangeable purchases.
Oxidiser Handling and Storage
Nitric acid is corrosive and a strong oxidiser. Keep it away from organics, reducing agents, and incompatible metals, and store it in compatible containers in a cool, ventilated area. Use acid-resistant PPE, face protection, and compatible transfer equipment, and follow the SDS for spill response and incompatibilities.
Packaging and Supply
Nitric acid is commonly supplied in carboys and drums depending on concentration and site controls. Specify concentration, quantity, packing, and delivery location, and confirm your receiving site has compatible storage and spill containment.
Get a Nitric Acid Quote
For nitric acid supply from Chennai, view nitric acid in our catalogue, call +91 86087 80096, WhatsApp an enquiry, or use the SPC enquiry form.
Grades & Packaging
Nitric acid is sold commercially at different strengths, and the strength determines both the application it suits and how it must be stored. These are standard, widely recognised grade descriptions rather than SPC-specific figures:
- CAS number: 7697-37-2; molecular formula HNO3.
- Dilute nitric acid (commonly around 60% strength): the concentration typically used for general pickling and process applications.
- Concentrated nitric acid (commonly around 68-70% strength): the standard "concentrated" commercial grade used for more demanding pickling, passivation, and nitration steps.
- Fuming nitric acid (well above 86% strength): a more aggressively oxidising grade reserved for specific nitration and reagent applications.
- Laboratory reagent grade: a higher-purity grade used for analytical and digestion work where a validated grade is specified.
- Packaging: commonly supplied in acid-resistant HDPE carboys and HDPE-lined drums for standard orders, with bulk tank trucks or ISO tankers arranged for larger volumes.
- Storage materials: requires HDPE, PP, or other acid- and oxidiser-compatible containers; ordinary mild-steel drums are not suitable.
What SPC Stocks — Specification at a Glance
Of the grade families above, we stock the commercial grade from domestic manufacture. The figures below follow the specification recorded on our nitric acid product page, taken from the technical data sheet for the grade stocked; the batch Certificate of Analysis supplied with each consignment is the figure that governs.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Grade stocked | Commercial Grade (60–70%) |
| Assay | 60 – 70% as HNO3 |
| Appearance | Colourless to pale yellow liquid |
| Density | Specific gravity 1.37 – 1.42 at 27°C |
| CAS number | 7697-37-2 |
| HSN code | 2808 00 10 |
| UN number / class | UN 2031 — Class 8 Corrosive (strong oxidiser) |
| Origin | Domestic |
| Packaging | HDPE carboys; rubber-lined road tankers |
| Storage | Away from combustibles in vented, acid-resistant containers |
FAQ
What is the CAS number and chemical formula of nitric acid?
Nitric acid carries CAS number 7697-37-2 and the molecular formula HNO3. Always confirm the CAS number against your purchase order and the Certificate of Analysis, since the commercial strength supplied (dilute, concentrated, or fuming) changes the correct handling and storage requirements.
What packaging is nitric acid supplied in for industrial orders?
Nitric acid is commonly supplied in acid-resistant HDPE carboys and HDPE-lined drums for standard orders, with bulk tank trucks or ISO tankers arranged for larger volumes. Confirm your receiving site has compatible storage, since ordinary mild-steel containers are not suitable for nitric acid.
What grade of nitric acid does SPC stock in Chennai?
We stock Commercial Grade nitric acid at 60 – 70% as HNO3, of domestic origin — a colourless to pale yellow liquid with specific gravity 1.37 – 1.42 at 27°C. It is supplied in HDPE carboys and rubber-lined tankers, and every consignment ships with the manufacturer's batch Certificate of Analysis.
What are the HSN code and UN number for nitric acid?
Nitric acid is classified under HSN code 2808 00 10 on Indian GST and customs documentation, and travels under UN 2031 as a Class 8 corrosive that is also a strong oxidiser. Quote the HSN line on the purchase order and confirm the transport classification against SDS section 14 for the concentration supplied.
How do I get a quote for nitric acid from SPC?
Share your required concentration, quantity, packaging preference, and delivery location via the contact page. Quotes are typically answered within 4 working hours, Monday to Saturday.