Industrial Rock Salt

Industrial Rock Salt from Pakistan

Pakistan sits on one of the world’s largest rock salt deposits, the Salt Range formation in Punjab province, stretching over 300 km from Jhelum to the Indus River. The deposits were formed during the Precambrian era (over 250 million years ago) and contain both white (high-purity halite) and pink (iron-oxide-bearing halite) salt in massive crystalline veins. Industrial rock salt is mined using room-and-pillar or conventional mining methods, then crushed and screened to specified size fractions at processing plants near the mine heads. The material requires no chemical processing, making it one of the most natural and cost-effective industrial mineral products available.

Specifications

White Rock Salt

• Mineral: Halite (NaCl)

• NaCl Content: 97-99%

• Moisture: < 1%

• Insoluble Matter: < 1%

• Calcium (CaSO₄): < 0.5%

• Magnesium: < 0.1%

• Iron: < 10 ppm

• Colour: White to translucent

• Crystal Structure: Coarse crystalline, hard, compact

Pink Rock Salt

• Mineral: Halite (NaCl) with iron oxide trace

• NaCl Content: 95-98%

• Moisture: < 1%

• Insoluble Matter: 1-3%

• Calcium (CaSO₄): 0.5-1.5%

• Magnesium: 0.1-0.5%

• Iron: 30-150 ppm (responsible for pink colour)

• Colour: Light pink to deep pink/red

• Crystal Structure: Coarse crystalline, hard, compact

Available Forms

Lumps

• Mine-run lumps: 50-300 mm (as-mined, irregular)

• Sorted lumps: 50-150 mm, 100-250 mm

• Best for: Chemical processing, salt brine plants, decorative landscaping, animal lick blocks (raw material)

Crushed

• Coarse crushed: 10-50 mm

• Medium crushed: 5-25 mm

• Fine crushed: 0-10 mm

• Screened grades: 2-5 mm, 3-8 mm, 5-15 mm, 10-25 mm

• Custom size fractions available

• Best for: De-icing, water softening, industrial processing, textile, leather, drilling

Industrial Uses

• Road de-icing and snow melting: Crushed rock salt (3-8 mm, 5-15 mm) is the world’s most widely used road de-icing material. It lowers the freezing point of water on roads and pavements, preventing ice formation and improving winter driving safety. Pink rock salt is increasingly popular as a premium de-icing product in European and North American markets due to its natural appearance and lower environmental perception

• Water softening and treatment: Crushed rock salt is dissolved to create saturated brine for regenerating ion-exchange resins in water softeners. Used in residential, commercial, and industrial water softening systems to remove calcium and magnesium hardness

• Chlor-alkali chemical industry: Rock salt is the primary feedstock for the chlor-alkali process, which produces chlorine gas, caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), and soda ash through electrolysis of saturated brine. These are fundamental industrial chemicals used in PVC, paper, soap, aluminium, and hundreds of other products

• Soda ash production (Solvay process): Rock salt brine is reacted with ammonia and carbon dioxide to produce soda ash (sodium carbonate), a key raw material for glass, detergent, and chemical manufacturing

• Textile dyeing and processing: Rock salt is used in textile dyeing as an exhausting agent that drives dye molecules into the fabric. It is also used in fabric finishing, bleaching, and mercerizing processes

• Leather tanning: Rock salt is used to preserve raw hides (curing) and in the tanning process itself to control the penetration of tanning agents into the leather

• Oil and gas drilling: Rock salt is dissolved to create saturated brine used as a drilling fluid (salt mud) for drilling through salt formations. It is also used in well completion and workover fluids

• Animal feed and lick blocks: Industrial-grade rock salt is the raw material for manufacturing compressed animal salt lick blocks for cattle, buffalo, horses, sheep, goats, and wildlife

• Fisheries and food preservation: Coarse rock salt is used in fish curing, salting, and preservation in the seafood industry

• Dust control and soil stabilisation: Rock salt brine is applied to unpaved roads and construction sites for dust suppression and soil stabilisation

• Refrigeration and cold storage: Rock salt is mixed with ice to create freezing brine for industrial refrigeration, ice cream manufacturing, and cold storage applications

Quality Assurance

Each lot includes a Certificate of Analysis reporting NaCl, moisture, insoluble matter, calcium sulphate, magnesium, iron, and particle size distribution. White and pink grades are mined, processed, and tested separately. Pre-shipment samples are provided for buyer evaluation. Third-party inspection (SGS, Intertek, or equivalent) can be arranged.