Refined Bleached Shellac
The dewaxed low-colour grade. Wax held to 0.2 percent maximum and colour to 6 to 10 Gardner Hellige, supplied as a powder in 50 lb bags from United States stock.
The dewaxed low-colour grade. Wax held to 0.2 percent maximum and colour to 6 to 10 Gardner Hellige, supplied as a powder in 50 lb bags from United States stock.
Refined bleached shellac is the dewaxed, low-colour grade of the same natural lac resin. It is supplied as a yellow powder rather than a flake, and it is released against four limits: moisture 6.0 percent maximum, insolubles 0.2 percent maximum, wax 0.2 percent maximum, and colour 6 to 10 on the Gardner Hellige scale.
The wax figure is the one that matters most, and it is the reason to reach for this grade rather than the flake. Heat-refined shellac carries 2.5 to 5 percent natural shellac wax. This grade holds it to 0.2 percent maximum, which is more than a tenfold reduction, and a wax-free shellac behaves differently in the can and on the surface. It gives a clear solution instead of a milky dispersion, a film with higher gloss and better clarity, and a surface a subsequent coat can key into rather than sitting on wax.
Colour is the second reason. At 6 to 10 Gardner Hellige this is a materially paler resin than the light amber of the flake grade, which is what a clear finish over pale timber or a low-colour ink vehicle needs. Insolubles at 0.2 percent maximum keep the solution clean enough to spray without straining out a haze.
The refining route is different rather than more thorough. Bleached shellac is made by treating seedlac with hypochlorite, not by heat, and that route is what removes both the wax and the colour. It is a sibling of the flake grade rather than a refined version of it.
The trade-off is shelf life, and it is a real one. Where flake keeps for more than five years, this grade carries a one-year shelf life from the manufacturing date and it has to be held cold to get it. Residual chlorine from the bleaching step is what drives the ageing. Plan the order against consumption rather than stocking a year ahead.
It is a powder and it is supplied in 50 lb bags. Physical properties on the safety data sheet are a melting point above 70 degrees C, relative density 1.1 to 1.2, water solubility below 1 percent, and volatiles at 5 percent by weight.
The CAS Registry Number is 9000-59-3. It is also written as bleached shellac, refined bleached shellac, dewaxed bleached shellac, shellac, lac resin, and E904.
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Yellow powder |
| Moisture | 6.0 percent maximum |
| Insolubles | 0.2 percent maximum |
| Wax | 0.2 percent maximum |
| Colour (Gardner Hellige) | 6 to 10 |
These are specification limits from the technical data sheet, not typical values. Every batch is released against them and the certificate of analysis reports the measured result. We will send the current TDS and the batch documentation your qualification needs.
Tell us the binder system, the property you are targeting, and the volume you expect. We will confirm the grade, send the documentation, and ship a sample from North American stock.
Wax at 0.2 percent maximum leaves a surface a topcoat can key into, which is what a sealer under a polyurethane or waterborne finish has to do.
An alcohol-soluble film former where the vehicle must not add colour of its own.
The pale grade, for figured or light timber where the amber of a waxy flake would shift the colour.
A natural resin film with low colour, used where gloss and clarity are the specification rather than build.
Where the hard fast-setting film of shellac is wanted without the wax.
It is specified where the formulation needs wax held to 0.2 percent maximum, against 2.5 to 5 percent in heat-refined flake, colour at 6 to 10 gardner hellige, materially paler than lemon flake, dissolves to a clear solution rather than a milky dispersion, leaves a surface a subsequent coat can adhere to, insolubles at 0.2 percent maximum, clean enough to spray, and held in united states stock in 50 lb bags.
It dissolves in ethanol and denatured alcohol as the flake grade does, and it dissolves faster because it is a powder rather than a flake. Add it to the solvent with agitation rather than the other way round, or the powder will ball. The solution should come up clear; a haze means either undissolved material or that the cut has been held too long.
Watch the age of the material, not just the age of the solution. This grade carries a one-year shelf life from manufacture and both the dissolving rate and the dried film hardness fall off as it passes it. Check the manufacturing date on the bag before opening a bag that has been in the store a while, and rotate stock on that date rather than on receipt.
Store it cold. The specification sheet requires a temperature and humidity controlled environment at 10 degrees C, which is 50 degrees F, or lower, to get the stated shelf life. Warm storage shortens it substantially and this is the grade where that matters.
Moisture is specified at 6.0 percent maximum and the material is hygroscopic enough to pick more up. Keep bags closed between draws.
Handle the dust as a nuisance dust with normal industrial hygiene. The safety data sheet records that inhaling dust may cause shortness of breath, chest tightness, sore throat and cough, that direct eye contact may cause slight transient irritation, and that prolonged skin contact may cause dermatitis. Local exhaust ventilation at the transfer point covers all three.
Package sizes: Brown paper bags, 50 lb net..
Storage: Shelf life is one year from the manufacturing date, provided the material is held in a temperature and humidity controlled environment at 10 degrees C, which is 50 degrees F, or lower. This is much shorter than the five-plus years of heat-refined flake, and the difference is the bleaching route rather than the storage. Keep bags closed, cold and dry, and rotate on the manufacturing date.
The safety data sheet classifies this material as not hazardous under the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200 HazCom 2012, and under the Canadian Hazardous Products Regulations, WHMIS 2015. No pictogram, signal word or hazard statement is required under either. The sheet records it as not classified as flammable under 29 CFR 1910.106, with no explosive properties, and not regulated for transport under 49 CFR DOT or Canadian TDG. The substance is on the TSCA inventory, carries EINECS number 232-549-9, and is not a SARA Title III Section 313 listed toxic chemical. The specification sheet records that it contains no ingredients listed under California Proposition 65 and no GMO ingredients. Read the safety data sheet before handling.
They are siblings from the same raw material rather than two steps on one ladder. Lemon flake is heat refined, keeps 2.5 to 5 percent natural wax and is light amber. This grade is bleached with hypochlorite and dewaxed, holds wax to 0.2 percent maximum, and runs 6 to 10 on the Gardner Hellige colour scale. The practical consequences are a clear solution instead of a milky one, a film a topcoat can adhere to, and a one-year shelf life instead of five-plus.
This grade is both bleached and dewaxed, which is why the wax limit is 0.2 percent maximum. Dewaxing and bleaching are separate operations, so a shellac can be dewaxed without being bleached, and a dewaxed-only grade keeps more of its natural colour. If your specification calls for dewaxed without calling for low colour, tell us and we will confirm which grade fits.
The bleaching step leaves residual chlorine in the resin, and that drives ageing in a way heat refining does not. The sheet gives one year from the manufacturing date, and only if the material is held at 10 degrees C or below in controlled humidity. As it ages it dissolves more slowly and the dried film gets softer. Order against consumption rather than stocking a year ahead, and rotate on the manufacturing date rather than the receipt date.
9000-59-3, the same number as flake shellac. Both safety data sheets carry it. The bleaching and dewaxing route changes the material's wax content, colour and shelf life without changing what the substance is, so there is no separate registry number for it.
A yellow powder, not a flake, supplied in 50 lb brown paper bags. Melting point is above 70 degrees C, relative density 1.1 to 1.2, water solubility below 1 percent and volatiles 5 percent by weight. Being a powder it dissolves faster than flake, so add it to the solvent under agitation to keep it from balling.
Yes. It is held in United States stock and ships across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Standard packaging is 50 lb bags. Because of the one-year shelf life, tell us your consumption rate along with the volume and we will size the order to it rather than shipping stock that will age out.
Yes. We send the Product Specification Sheet, Safety Data Sheet (SDS), and Certificate of Analysis (COA) on request, in the current revision. Use Request TDS or SDS above and tell us what your qualification review needs.
The heat-refined wax-containing grade. Longer shelf life, amber colour, satin gloss.
Grades, forms and what we hold in stock.
The selection question this grade exists to answer.
Where bleaching sits against heat and solvent refining, and why they are siblings.
What the wax, insolubles and colour rows mean on an incoming lot.