Buying Guides
LR, AR, HPLC, Technical, Commercial: Chemical Grades Explained
Chemical grades confuse even experienced buyers, and the confusion is expensive in both directions: pay AR prices for a pickling application and you burn money; put commercial acid in an analytical method and you burn credibility. Here is the hierarchy in plain language.
The grades, from purest down
HPLC/Spectroscopy grades are ultra-pure solvents for instrumental analysis. AR (Analytical Reagent, aligned with ACS) suits quantitative lab work — impurities are certified to tight limits. LR (Laboratory Reagent) is fine for general lab use, education and non-critical QC. Technical/Industrial grade is controlled for the main assay but looser on trace impurities. Commercial grade is bulk material where the application tolerates variation.
Matching grade to application
Plating bath make-up generally needs plating or technical grade — the critical impurities are specific metals, not overall assay. Effluent neutralisation runs happily on commercial caustic or acid. NABL-accredited labs should insist on AR with COAs. Food and pharma applications need FCC/IP/BP grades with full traceability, which is a regulatory question, not just a purity one.
Unsure what grade your application really needs? Tell us what the chemical will do, not just its name — we will quote the grade that fits, and tell you honestly when the cheaper one is enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
For general wet chemistry and education, yes. For quantitative analysis in an accredited lab, use AR grade with a certificate of analysis — the certified impurity limits are the point.
Need this chemistry for your process?
JSM Traders supplies the products discussed here with COA and MSDS, PAN India. Quotations within working hours.
