Choose the concentration your process dilutes from
Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂, CAS 7722-84-1) is supplied across a wide range. Industrial users almost always buy concentrated and dilute on site, because shipping a dilute solution is shipping water.
| Grade | Concentration | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Dilute | 3–6% | Wound care, household disinfection |
| Technical | 27.5–30% | General industrial processes, laboratory |
| Industrial | 35–50% | Textile bleaching, pulp, water treatment |
| High purity | 50–60% | Chemical synthesis, electronics |
| Food (FCC) | 35% | Aseptic packaging, food equipment sanitation |
For a Pakistani textile mill, 35% and 50% are the practical choices. 50% carries less water per unit of active oxygen and so costs less to freight, but it is more reactive, decomposes faster if contaminated, and demands tighter storage discipline. 35% is the more forgiving option and remains the most widely used industrial concentration.
Key physical properties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Chemical formula | H₂O₂ |
| CAS number | 7722-84-1 |
| Molecular weight | 34.01 g/mol |
| Appearance | Colourless liquid |
| pH (3% solution) | ~4.5 — mildly acidic |
| Boiling point (pure) | 150.2 °C |
| Density (30%) | 1.11 g/cm³ |
| Density (50%) | 1.20 g/cm³ |
| Solubility | Fully miscible with water |
The stabiliser system is the specification that matters
Pure hydrogen peroxide decomposes slowly on its own and rapidly in the presence of transition metals, alkalis, dust or organic matter. Commercial product contains a stabiliser package to hold this in check, and how good that package is determines shelf life.
- Ask what the stabiliser system is and what shelf life it supports at your storage temperature
- Iron, copper, manganese and chromium are the metals that matter — parts per million are enough to matter
- Decomposition is exothermic and produces oxygen, so a contaminated sealed container heats and pressurises, and the heat accelerates the reaction further
- This is why peroxide containers have vented closures, and why those vents must never be replaced with solid bungs
- Never return decanted material to the original container — that is the single most common route to contaminating a whole drum
Storage and materials
- Suitable — passivated 304L or 316L stainless steel, aluminium of appropriate purity, and specific HDPE grades supplied for peroxide service
- Not suitable — carbon steel, copper, brass, most rubbers, and any container that has held another chemical
- Store cool, shaded and ventilated, away from organics, combustibles and reducing agents
- Bund the storage area and keep a water supply available; dilution is the primary spill response
- Peroxide will ignite organic material on contact at high concentration, so keep it away from wood pallets, cardboard and rags
- Use only clean, dedicated transfer equipment
Textile bleaching parameters
Peroxide is the standard bleach for cotton and the only practical option for wool, silk and many synthetics. The operating window is well established.
| Parameter | Typical range |
|---|---|
| H₂O₂ concentration | 3–6% on weight of fabric |
| Temperature | 85–95 °C |
| Bath pH | 10.5–11 |
| Stabiliser | Sodium silicate or an organic stabiliser |
| Time | 45–60 minutes |
Bath stabiliser is a separate purchase from the peroxide stabiliser package and serves a different purpose — it controls the decomposition rate during bleaching so that oxygen is released steadily rather than all at once, which is what prevents fibre damage.
Other applications
- Pulp and paper bleaching, as a chlorine-free alternative
- Water and effluent treatment — oxidation of organics, sulphides and colour
- Aseptic food packaging sterilisation, requiring FCC grade at 35%
- Chemical synthesis and epoxidation
- Electronics cleaning at high-purity grade
- Disinfection, where its decomposition to water and oxygen leaves no persistent residue
What to put on the RFQ
- Concentration and tolerance, plus the grade if food or electronics
- Stabiliser system and the shelf life it supports at 30–40 °C, which is a realistic Pakistani storage temperature
- Limits for iron, copper, manganese and chromium
- Quantity per delivery and annual volume
- Pack — vented HDPE drum, IBC or tanker — and confirmation that vented closures are supplied
- Delivery city, and confirmation of shaded, bunded storage away from combustibles
- Documentation — batch COA including stabiliser confirmation, MSDS, and FCC certification where relevant
What drives the price
- Natural gas and hydrogen pricing, since the anthraquinone process that makes almost all peroxide depends on hydrogen
- Concentration, with 50% cheaper per unit of active oxygen than 35% before storage risk is considered
- Grade, with food and electronics material well above industrial
- Pack format, and the cost of vented, peroxide-compatible packaging
- Freight and delivery city — this is largely water by weight
- Textile season demand, which is significant and predictable in Pakistan
Sourcing considerations in Pakistan
- Both domestic production and imports supply the market; confirm which you are quoted where stabiliser quality matters
- It is a Hazard Class 5.1 oxidiser for transport, which is a different classification from the corrosives in this range and requires appropriate segregation
- Confirm your storage is away from combustibles before ordering — peroxide stored beside cardboard or wood is a fire risk, not just a chemical one
- Buy to a schedule matched to consumption; unlike most chemicals here, holding a large stock actively increases risk