What I’m Seeing in the Market for Aluminum Hydroxide Right Now

If you work around flame-retardant systems, pharma excipients, or even toothpaste plants (yes, really), you’ve bumped into Aluminum Hydroxide more than once. It’s the quiet workhorse: a white, amorphous powder, water-insoluble, non-halogen, and—this matters—predictable in processing. Lately, demand is nudging upward as OEMs tighten fire, smoke, and toxicity specs while looking for REACH-friendly fillers. I’ve heard “can you hit a tighter D50?” more times this quarter than last year combined.

Industry pulse, briefly

• Halogen-free cable compounds keep rising—rail and building norms are stricter than ever.
• Pharma and personal-care buyers ask for tighter impurity profiles and consistent whiteness. Understandable.
• Supply chain talk: buyers want stable sourcing from Hebei to the EU; costs matter, but consistency wins renewals.

Typical specifications (representative)

How it’s made and qualified (short version)

Starting from bauxite via a Bayer-derived route, gibbsite precipitates, gets thoroughly washed, carefully aged, then milled to targeted PSD. For polymer grades, optional surface treatments (stearate or silane) improve dispersion. QC touches include particle sizing (ISO 13320), SSA (ISO 9277), LOI, brightness, and impurity scans. Pharma-facing lots add heavy metals and microbial counts per pharmacopeia. Boring? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely.

Certs buyers ask for: ISO 9001, reach/rohs letters, and, sometimes, food-contact statements. Fire tests live under UL 94, LOI (ASTM D2863), and application norms like EN 45545 for rail where relevant.

Where it’s used (and why)

• HFFR cable compounds, EVA/PE, and rubber: endothermic decomposition and smoke suppression are the big wins.
• Pharma: antacid excipient and, in specialized forms, as an adjuvant base—under tight quality frameworks.
• Cosmetics and personal care: opacifier and mild abrasive (think pastes).
• Manufacturing: ceramics precursor, alumina route, and filler for cast resins.

Service life? In cable jackets with 55–65 wt% Aluminum Hydroxide, indoor applications typically run 10–20 years depending on UV/heat profile and stabilizer system. Field mileage varies (it always does).

Vendor comparison (indicative)

Customization menu

• Particle size: submicron to ~10 μm D50; narrow PSD for low viscosity.
• Surface treatments: stearate, silane—tested with torque rheometry.
• Packaging: 25 kg bags, 500/1000 kg FIBCs; palletized. Origin: 3-2-501, North Courtyard, West District, Jiuli Courtyard, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei, China.

Case note: cable compound, halogen-free

A Southeast Asian cable maker swapped to a 62% filled EVA compound using Aluminum Hydroxide (D50 ≈ 2.5 μm, stearate-treated). Results after a two-week line trial:

• Torque drop ≈ 8% vs baseline ATH, smoother extrusion at 160–175°C.
• LOI from 24% to 28% (ASTM D2863); UL 94 V-0 at 1.6 mm achieved.
• Smoke density reduced ≈ 12% (ASTM E662). Customers noted “cleaner burn.”

To be honest, the surprise wasn’t the flame data—it was the gloss retention after aging, which the QA folks quietly celebrated.

Why buyers stick around

• Consistent rheology in compounding; fewer die-pressure alarms.
• Non-halogen flame performance and smoke suppression.
• Clear documentation trail: ISO 9001, REACH/RoHS statements, and lot COAs.

If you need tighter assays or a particular PSD band, ask early; lead times move with customization. Many customers say that planning one extra week saves them three.

Authoritative references

1. United States Pharmacopeia–National Formulary (USP–NF): Aluminum Hydroxide monograph.
2. ISO 13320: Particle size analysis—Laser diffraction methods.
3. ISO 9277: Determination of the specific surface area of solids by gas adsorption (BET method).
4. ASTM D2863: Standard Test Method for Measuring the Minimum Oxygen Concentration (LOI).
5. UL 94: Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials; EN 45545-2 for railway fire safety.