Quick Answer: Industrial salt is made through four main methods. Solar evaporation dries seawater or brine in shallow ponds over 8 to 12 months. Rock salt mining extracts halite deposits from underground caverns. Vacuum evaporation purifies brine using steam in pressure chambers. Brine processing treats dissolved salt water industrially. Solar evaporation produces 30-35% of global supply, rock salt 35-40%, with vacuum and brine methods making up the rest.
Do you know that salt isn’t just used as a seasoning in your food?
It is actually an important ingredient in the production of many industrial products, such as manufacturing dyes for the textile industry and medicines for the Pharmaceuticals industry.
The role of industrial salt may not be directly visible to the end user, but for manufacturers and engineers like you, it’s highly relevant.
But the questions remain:
How is industrial salt actually made?
And what does it take for salt manufacturers to extract, refine, and deliver bulk quantities with consistency and purity?
After all, knowing this will help you make informed and responsible sourcing decisions.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through the entire industrial salt production process from the seashore to the shelf!
Let’s dive in.
How Is Industrial Salt Made: Table of Contents
- What is Industrial Salt?
- How is Industrial Salt Produced and Processed?
- Applications of Industrial Salt
- Why does Choosing The Right Partner matter for Your Salt Requirements?
- How Is Industrial Salt Made: FAQs
What is Industrial Salt?
Industrial salt isn’t your everyday food-grade salt that you use in your everyday life.
It is actually sodium chloride that is processed for industrial use only and is used in enormous volumes in the manufacturing process of several business sectors.
The purity of industrial salt is slightly lower than that of edible salt, and it is not iodized.
How is Industrial Salt Different from Table Salt?
In this table, I’ll show you the aspects in which industrial and table salt differ:
| Feature | Table Salt | Industrial Salt |
| Purity | Typically >99.9% NaCl | Varies from 95% to 99.5%+ NaCl |
| Additives | Iodine and anti-caking agents | Usually none |
| Grain Size | Fine, uniform | Coarse, medium, or custom-sized |
| Applications | Cooking, seasoning | Manufacturing, chemical processing, and more |
| Packaging | Hygienic small packs | Bulk bags, loose or industrial drums |
The Types of Industrial Salt
Industrial salt is produced in various types, and each type is based on its production method. Here’s how they are processed and where they are used:
- Solar Salt: You’ll find this kind of salt in wide open fields. It’s made in the old-fashioned way, just sun, seawater, and time. Textile units and water treatment plants often rely on solar salt.
- Vacuum Salt: This salt comes from brine that’s boiled in vacuum chambers. Since it is more purified, you’ll see it being used commonly in the pharmaceutical and food-related industries.
- Rock Salt: It is mined from underground salt deposits using mechanical or blasting methods and is quite often used in road de-icing.
- Sea Salt: The unprocessed version of industrial salt, and is mostly used in low-spec applications or reprocessed further for industrial use.
For a broader breakdown of each category, you can review the main industrial salt types and how they are used across different industries.
How is Industrial Salt Produced and Processed?
Now, to understand the industrial salt production process, you need to know the three different methods by which salt is produced.
Let me show you how they work:
1. Rock Salt Mining
In many cases, salt is found in layers beneath the ground.
These layers were once the sea, which dried up probably millions of years ago. In these scenarios, rock salt mining is used.
Here’s how this mining process works:
- Cut and Blast: This method starts with drilling holes into thick salt rock. Explosives go in next, and after detonation, large chunks break loose and drop to the mine floor. Those are then collected and crushed.
- Continuous Mining: A big machine with rotating teeth cuts through the salt without any explosions.
- Room and Pillar Mining: It’s like creating rooms under the ground, and those rooms are supported by pillars of salt rock. Slowly and steadily, the salt is extracted from these rooms.
Once the salt is extracted from the mine, this is how it is further processed:
- Crushing: The big blocks or particles of the salt are broken down into smaller pieces.
- Screening: Gets sorted by size.
- Washing: Any dirt or tiny rocks are removed.
- Drying: The moisture from washing is removed.
- Packaging: Packed in the preferred way of the client.
2. Solar Evaporation
Unlike the previous method I discussed, which uses machines, solar evaporation uses natural elements such as the sun, wind, and seawater.
This is how the entire process happens:
- First, seawater is pumped into large and shallow concentration ponds.
- Over time, the water slowly evaporates in the sun.
- The brine becomes more concentrated as the water evaporates.
- It is then moved to crystallization ponds, where salt crystals begin to form at the bottom of the ponds.
After this, the extracted salt is further processed, and this is how it is done:
- Harvesting: The salt is collected from the ponds either manually by workers or by machines.
- Washing: Brine is sprayed on the salt to remove dirt or impurities.
- Drying: Next, to remove the moisture, it’s either dried in the sun or by placing it in the dryer.
- Packaging: Lastly, the salt particles are screened according to size and then packed for the clients.
The solar evaporation method is very eco-friendly and cost-effective, as nature primarily assists in the formation of industrial salt.
3. Vacuum Evaporation
If your requirement is a clean and pure form of industrial salt, then vacuum evaporation is the ideal method for your grade.
Industrial salt extracted using this method can be used in pharmaceuticals, food-grade chemicals, or high-end industrial processes.
This method works in four stages:
- Solution Mining: Water is pumped into salt deposit wells, which are connected via lateral drilling (a salt production technology).
- Brine formation: The salt gets dissolved in the water, creating a salty brine that is then pumped to the surface.
- Evaporation: The brine is then processed through equipment that heats it under low pressure or a vacuum. That’s how the brine boils at lower temperatures.
- Extraction: When the steam exits, pure salt gets formed, which is then collected.
These collected salt crystals are then taken to the processing stage:
- Centrifuging: The salt is spun at high speeds to remove any leftover liquid.
- Drying: It’s completely dried to remove all moisture.
- Purification: It is treated by adding chemicals to remove other minerals.
- Packaging: The clean salt is then packed carefully for delivery.
Applications of Industrial Salt
You can call industrial salt an all-rounder, as it caters to the following sectors in several ways:
- Chemical Industry: The electrolysis of brine produces chlorine and caustic soda, which are used for manufacturing PVC, papers and detergents.
- Water Treatment: Used in ion-exchange systems to remove hard minerals like calcium and magnesium.
- Textiles: Helps fix dyes onto fabrics for vivid colors and a uniform finish.
- Leather Tanning: Prevents bacterial growth during the tanning process.
- Oil and Gas: Stabilizes drilling fluids, controls pressure, and increases density.
- Pharmaceuticals: Produces saline solutions and capsules.
- Animal Feed: Adds essential sodium to livestock diets.
Choose the Right Supplier for Your Salt Supply
As we have seen in this blog, there’s a quite complex process that goes into the extraction and refinement of industrial salt.
And the quality of salt can directly impact the productivity of your enterprise!
That’s why leading industries trust The Sharad Group to consistently deliver high-quality supplies of industrial salt.
Through our salt production operations, we produce 250,000 tons of product every year. Here’s what you can expect from us:
- Options for both industrial and edible salt.
- Quality assurance checks before we ship your order.
- On-time supplies for both domestic and international markets.
So, if you are looking for consistency, bulk supply, and on-time delivery, reach out to us for samples, quotes, and consultations!
Industrial Salt Refining & Processing: Step-by-Step
The four production methods get you raw salt. Getting industrial-grade salt to spec requires refining and processing. I work with this process every day from our Gujarat operations, so let me walk you through what’s actually happening between harvest and shipment.
Step 1: Washing. Raw salt from solar ponds or mines goes through a saturated brine wash. The wash removes adhering clay, calcium sulfate, and magnesium chloride impurities that affect end-use performance.
Step 2: Centrifugation. The washed salt is spun in industrial centrifuges to remove residual moisture and brine. This step alone can drop moisture content from 8-10% to 2-3% in a single pass.
Step 3: Drying. The salt enters a fluidized bed dryer or rotary kiln at 150-180°C. Drying brings moisture content below 0.5%, which is the standard spec for industrial-grade salt.
Step 4: Screening & sizing. Dried salt passes through vibrating screens to separate it into specific grain sizes. Coarse grades go to de-icing buyers, medium to chemical plants, and fine grades to water-softening and food-adjacent industries.
Step 5: Anti-caking treatment (optional). Some buyers require salt that won’t clump in humid storage. We’ll add small amounts of food-grade anti-caking agents like sodium ferrocyanide (Prussiate of Soda) at controlled doses.
Step 6: Quality testing. Each batch gets tested for NaCl content, moisture, insoluble matter, calcium, magnesium, and sulfate levels. Industrial-grade salt typically tests at 96-99% NaCl with less than 0.5% moisture.
Step 7: Packaging. Tested salt is packed into 25 kg or 50 kg HDPE bags, 1-ton FIBC jumbo bags, or shipped in bulk for FCL/LCL loads. Bulk shipments save 15-20% per ton vs bagged.
Here’s the part most articles miss. Different industrial uses need different specs entirely.
Chemical manufacturers want 99% NaCl with tight magnesium limits. De-icing buyers care more about grain size than purity. Water softeners need low calcium and sulfate.
Always ask your supplier for the exact spec sheet before placing an order. It’s the difference between salt that performs and salt that wastes your budget.
Need industrial salt for your specific application? Our refining process produces grades for chemical, de-icing, water softening, and oil & gas drilling. View industrial salt specs and request samples
Related Resources
- Sourcing industrial salt in bulk? See our industrial salt product page for grades and specs
- Confused about salt types? Read industrial salt vs edible salt and rock salt vs table salt
- Want the industries that use it? See 7 industries that rely on industrial salt
- Looking for specific salt types? Read types of industrial salt and their applications
- Request a quote or sample for industrial salt from our team →
How is Industrial Salt Made: FAQs
How is industrial salt made?
Industrial salt is made through four main methods: solar evaporation, rock salt mining, vacuum evaporation, and brine processing. Solar evaporation dries seawater in shallow ponds. Rock salt mining extracts halite deposits from underground caverns.
What are the main methods of salt production?
The four main methods are solar evaporation, rock salt mining, vacuum evaporation, and brine processing. Solar evaporation produces 30-35% of global supply, rock salt mining 35-40%, with vacuum and brine methods making up the rest. Each method produces different grades for different end uses.
How long does industrial salt production take?
Solar evaporation typically takes 8 to 12 months from filling the ponds to harvesting dry salt. Rock salt mining is continuous since the deposits already exist underground. Vacuum evaporation produces salt in 24 to 48 hours per batch.
What’s the difference between industrial salt and edible salt?
Industrial salt has 95% or lower NaCl purity and may contain trace impurities like sodium nitrite or heavy metals. Edible salt has 99%+ purity, is iodized, and undergoes strict food safety testing. Industrial salt is used for de-icing, chemical manufacturing, and water softening, not human consumption.
Where is industrial salt produced in India?
India’s largest industrial salt production is in Gujarat (which produces 76% of India’s salt), followed by Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. Major production centers include Kandla, Mithapur, and the Little Rann of Kutch. India is the world’s third-largest salt producer after China and the United States.
What is industrial salt used for?
Industrial salt is used primarily in chemical manufacturing (chlor-alkali process, soda ash), road de-icing, water softening, oil and gas drilling, leather tanning, and dyeing. Roughly 90% of all salt produced globally is industrial-grade.
How is rock salt extracted?
Rock salt is extracted through underground mining using two main methods. Conventional drill-and-blast mining extracts hard halite deposits directly from caverns. Solution mining pumps water underground to dissolve the salt, then brings the brine back up for processing.
Is industrial salt safe?
Industrial salt is not safe for human consumption due to trace contaminants and lack of food safety testing. It is safe when used for its intended industrial purposes such as de-icing, water softening, and chemical manufacturing. Always check the safety data sheet (SDS) before handling industrial-grade salt.
