Food, feed and industrial grade sodium bicarbonate: what is the difference?
All three grades are the same chemical, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃, CAS 144-55-8), with the same HS code, 2836.30. What differs is the standard each grade is made to, the limits its specification sets, the documents that travel with it and the uses your regulator accepts. Food grade follows China’s food-additive standard GB 1886.2-2015; feed grade follows the feed-additive standard GB 7300.801-2019, which adds a cadmium limit; industrial grade is sold for technical use only, with alkalinity, chloride and whiteness limits.
Yizhou Chem is an authorized Berun distributor and trading company. We export all three grades, bought direct from Inner Mongolia Berun Yingen Chemical Co., Ltd. in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, FOB Tianjin Xingang.
Food, feed and industrial grade compared.
Specification limits from the plant documents, not lot results; the lot COA governs each shipment. Full tables: Food Grade Sodium Bicarbonate, Feed Grade Sodium Bicarbonate and Industrial Grade Sodium Bicarbonate.
| Property | Food Grade Sodium Bicarbonate | Feed Grade Sodium Bicarbonate | Industrial Grade Sodium Bicarbonate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | GB 1886.2-2015, China’s national food safety standard for the food additive | GB 7300.801-2019, China’s feed-additive standard | GB/T 1606-2025, China’s national standard for industrial sodium bicarbonate; technical use only |
| Where the limits come from | Plant TDS (food grade) | Plant TDS (feed grade) | Plant specification sheet; there is no separate TDS for this grade |
| Total alkalinity (NaHCO₃) | 99.0 – 100.5% | ≥ 99% | ≥ 99.0% |
| Loss on drying | ≤ 0.20% | ≤ 0.2% | ≤ 0.20% |
| pH | ≤ 8.5 | ≤ 8.6 | Not in this grade’s specification |
| Heavy metals (as Pb) | ≤ 5 ppm | ≤ 5 ppm | Not in this grade’s specification |
| Arsenic (As) | ≤ 1 ppm | ≤ 1 ppm | Not in this grade’s specification |
| Cadmium (Cd) | Not in this grade’s specification | ≤ 2 ppm | Not in this grade’s specification |
| Chloride (as Cl) | ≤ 0.40% | Not in this grade’s specification | ≤ 0.40% |
| Whiteness | ≥ 85 | Not in this grade’s specification | ≥ 85 |
| Ammonium salt · clarity | Pass test | Pass test | Not in this grade’s specification |
| Main uses | Bakery raising agent; effervescent drinks; food processing | Rumen buffer for dairy cattle; electrolyte balance in poultry and swine diets; premix | Powder detergent and cleaners; pH control in textile dyeing |
| Plant certificates in scope (view only) | FSMS / ISO 22000 (food-additive sodium bicarbonate); IFRC Halal | ISO 9001:2015 (feed-additive sodium bicarbonate); IFRC Halal | IFRC Halal |
| Documents beyond the standard set | A health certificate where your country’s clearance requires it (confirmed in the quote) | Non-GMO statement on request | None: the standard set only |
| Bag mark | MALAN, the producing plant’s brand | Confirmed in each quote | MALAN, the producing plant’s brand |
| Packing | 25 kg PP/PE bag · 1,000 / 1,100 / 1,250 kg PP jumbo bag (ton bag). No 50 kg packing on this grade. | 25 kg PP/PE bag · 1,000 / 1,100 / 1,250 kg PP jumbo bag (ton bag). No 50 kg packing on this grade. | 25 kg PP/PE bag · 1,000 / 1,100 / 1,250 kg PP jumbo bag (ton bag). No 50 kg packing on this grade. |
| 20′ container load | 25–27 MT per 20′ FCL | 25–27 MT per 20′ FCL | 25–27 MT per 20′ FCL |
The plant certificates are view-only copies: FSMS / ISO 22000, ISO 9001 and IFRC Halal. They are the producing plant’s certificates, not Yizhou Chem’s, and a copy of the Halal certificate goes with the shipping documents when you ask for one.
Which grade to order.
The choice follows your use and the documents your customs and regulator will ask for, not the chemistry.
| Use | Grade | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bakery, beverages, food processing | Food grade | Food buyers and regulators ask for food-grade documents: the GB 1886.2-2015 batch COA, the plant’s ISO 22000 certificate and, where clearance requires it, a health certificate. |
| Dairy, poultry and swine feed; premix | Feed grade | Released to the feed-additive standard GB 7300.801-2019, which adds a cadmium limit; the plant’s ISO 9001 scope covers feed-additive sodium bicarbonate. |
| Feed, where your registration file asks for food-grade documents | Food grade, feed labelling | Quoted on request: food-grade product and documents, labelled for feed use. |
| Powder detergent, cleaners, textile dyeing | Industrial grade | Alkalinity, loss-on-drying, chloride and whiteness limits for technical use; it carries no food or feed claim. |
| Replacing another supplier | Send their specification | We match the grade and check it against the current lot COA before quoting. |
What does not change between grades.
Every grade comes from the same natural-alkali plant in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, and every lot ships with the plant’s batch COA, matched to the bag markings.
HS 2836.30 for all three grades (India HSN 2836 30 00). The HS code guide lists the basic customs duty in our key markets and India’s GST.
25 kg bags or 1,000 / 1,100 / 1,250 kg jumbo bags, 25–27 MT per 20′ container, minimum order one 20′ container (1 × 20′ FCL). One container may mix grades. See the import guide for the order process step by step.
Food, feed or industrial: what buyers ask.
What is the difference between food grade and industrial grade sodium bicarbonate?
Both are sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3, CAS 144-55-8) from the same producing plant. Food grade is made to China’s food-additive standard GB 1886.2-2015 and its plant TDS also limits heavy metals (as Pb, ≤ 5 ppm), arsenic (≤ 1 ppm) and pH, with ammonium salt and clarity tests; it ships with food documents. Industrial grade has no separate plant TDS: its limits (total alkalinity ≥ 99.0%, loss on drying ≤ 0.20%, chloride ≤ 0.40%, whiteness ≥ 85) come from the plant’s sodium bicarbonate specification sheet, and it is sold for technical use only, not as a food or feed additive.
What is the difference between feed grade and food grade sodium bicarbonate?
Feed grade is produced to the feed-additive standard GB 7300.801-2019 (total alkalinity ≥ 99%, with a cadmium limit of ≤ 2 ppm); food grade is produced to GB 1886.2-2015. Feed grade is the usual commercial choice for feed mills. If your regulatory file requires food-grade documents for feed use, we quote food grade with feed labelling instead.
Can industrial grade sodium bicarbonate be used in food or animal feed?
No. Industrial grade is sold for technical use only. For food, order food grade; for feed, order feed grade (or food grade with feed labelling).
Do food, feed and industrial sodium bicarbonate have the same HS code?
Yes. All three are HS 2836.30, sodium hydrogencarbonate; India’s HSN line is 2836 30 00. The grade is shown by the specification, the batch COA and the bag marking, not by the HS code.
Which standard should I ask for?
The one your market and your use require. We quote food grade to GB 1886.2-2015 and feed grade to GB 7300.801-2019, as in the plant TDS. If your country names another standard, send it with the inquiry and we check it against the lot COA before quoting; we do not claim conformity with a standard we have not checked.
Can I order food, feed and industrial grades in one container?
Yes. The minimum order is one 20′ container (1 × 20′ FCL), and one container may mix grades; each grade keeps its own batch numbers, bag markings and COA.
Sources (checked 27 October 2026): the plant documents, Food grade bicarbonate TDS (PDF), Feed grade bicarbonate TDS (PDF) and Sodium bicarbonate specification, GB 1886.2-2015 (PDF).
Not sure which grade? Tell us the use.
Send your use, the standard your market requires, packing, quantity and discharge port, and we confirm the grade against the current lot COA before quoting. Every grade is quoted FOB Tianjin Xingang, minimum order one 20′ container (1 × 20′ FCL).
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