Home/FAQ
Questions we get asked
Ordering, documentation and delivery
The answers a purchasing or QA team usually needs before raising a first order. If yours is not here, ask the desk directly.
Ordering
Placing an order
What is the minimum order?
One kilogram or one litre on most catalogue lines. A few specialty and electronic-grade products start at 5 kg because that is how the plant packs them — each product page shows the smallest pack available for that line.
There is no minimum order value. A single litre of acetone for a trial is a normal order.
Do I have to request a quote to see a price?
No. All 96 catalogue lines show a per-pack price in US dollars on the product page, exclusive of freight and duty. Change the pack size and the price updates.
Quotations are for quantities above the largest catalogue pack, for export consignments, and for grades outside our standard specification.
Who can buy from you?
Registered businesses, laboratories, universities and government bodies. We are not a consumer retailer.
For a first order, and for any dangerous goods line, we may ask for business registration details and the intended end use before releasing the order. Some enquiries are declined on that basis, and we will say so plainly rather than going quiet.
Can I get a sample before committing to a drum?
Yes, and we would rather you did. For most lines the practical route is to buy the smallest catalogue pack — 1 kg or 1 L — and run it against your incoming specification. It arrives with the same batch Certificate of Analysis as a full drum, so the trial result is traceable.
For bulk enquiries involving a production run, ask about a pre-shipment sample from the intended batch.
How do I pay?
Catalogue orders are paid at checkout. Bulk and export consignments are quoted with payment terms stated on the quotation — typically advance payment or a letter of credit for a first export order, with terms considered on repeat business.
Quality
Specification and documentation
What documentation comes with an order?
Every consignment ships with:
- A batch-specific Certificate of Analysis carrying the manufacturer’s batch number
- The current Safety Data Sheet for the product
- A packing list and commercial invoice
Dangerous goods additionally carry the correct UN number, hazard class, packing group and transport marking on the outer packaging and the transport documents.
Is the COA specific to my batch, or a generic sheet?
Batch-specific. It states what was measured on the material you are receiving, not a typical or nominal value. That is the point of it — a generic sheet cannot support a goods-in acceptance decision or a downstream traceability investigation.
Can you meet a tighter specification than the one published?
Sometimes. Several lines are available at higher assay or with tighter impurity limits on a production run rather than from stock. Send us the specification you have to meet and we will tell you whether it is achievable, what it costs and what the lead time becomes.
If it is not achievable we will say so rather than shipping something that will fail your incoming test.
What is the difference between technical, food and electronic grade?
The grade describes the impurities, not the main component. Technical grade controls assay; food grade is tested against a food-additive monograph with heavy metals and microbiological limits; electronic grade controls trace metals and particulates at parts-per-billion levels.
Never substitute technical grade into a food or electronic application because the assay figure looks the same. The resources page sets out the differences in full.
A batch failed my incoming test. What happens?
Send us the batch number and your test result. We will pull the manufacturer’s retained sample data for that batch and compare. If the material is genuinely out of specification we replace or credit it — that is what the batch record exists to establish.
Do not use the material while this is open, and keep the original packaging and labelling intact.
Delivery
Shipping and dangerous goods
How long does delivery take?
Stocked lines despatch in two to five working days for local delivery. Export consignments typically run two to four weeks depending on documentation and the sailing schedule. Production runs are three to six weeks, and custom specifications four to ten.
The bulk quote page has the full breakdown, and every quotation carries its own lead time against the specific consignment.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes. We quote FOB and CIF to a named port, and can quote a full delivered price where you want the whole chain handled. Under CIF the goods reach your port, not your gate — import duty, VAT, port handling and final delivery remain yours unless we have quoted them.
How are dangerous goods handled?
The classification on the Safety Data Sheet decides the packaging standard, the outer marking and often the carrier. We book through forwarders who handle dangerous goods routinely and prepare transport documents to match the classification.
Class 3 flammables, class 5.1 oxidisers and class 8 corrosives each carry their own segregation rules, and some carriers refuse mixed loads. This is why we confirm the class at quotation rather than at despatch.
Will I need an import permit?
Possibly. Permit and registration requirements are set by your country, not by us, and they vary by product and by volume. We will give you the UN number, hazard class, packing group and CAS number so you can check with your regulator before ordering.
Import compliance in the destination country remains the buyer’s responsibility. Start the permit process before placing the order, not after.
After delivery
Storage, returns and support
How should I store what I have bought?
Segregate by hazard class — oxidisers away from flammables, acids away from bases. Keep powders dry and resealed at the liner, not just the outer bag. Control temperature and light where the Safety Data Sheet calls for it; sodium hypochlorite in particular loses available chlorine steadily above 25 °C.
Section 7 of the SDS covers handling and storage for the specific product. The resources page has the general principles.
Can I return an order?
Unopened, undamaged packs in original packaging can be returned within the period set out in our returns policy. Return freight for a change of mind is the buyer’s.
Opened chemical packs cannot be returned to stock. Once a container has been opened we can no longer certify the contents against the batch record, which is the whole basis on which we sell.
Material that is out of specification, damaged in transit or shipped in error is replaced or credited at our cost.
Something arrived damaged. What should I do?
Photograph the packaging before you move it, note the damage on the carrier’s delivery paperwork, and email us the same day with the batch number. If the damage involves a leak or a spill, follow section 6 of the Safety Data Sheet before anything else — the paperwork can wait, the containment cannot.
Can you help me choose between two grades?
Yes. Describe what the chemical has to do in your process rather than the grade name, and we will point you at the one that fits and tell you where the price difference actually comes from.
We would rather sell you the cheaper grade that works than the expensive one that gets returned.
Do you supply pharmaceutical actives?
No. Our catalogue deliberately excludes prescription-controlled active pharmaceutical ingredients. We do supply food-grade and pharmacopoeial-grade excipients and additives, and we will not source controlled substances or precursors outside a licensed supply chain regardless of the stated purpose.
Not answered here
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