Industrial Minerals
What it is
Quartz powder is high-purity crystalline silica, milled and classified. Where silica sand is sold on grain size, quartz powder is sold on purity and fineness: it goes where hardness, chemical resistance and a controlled thermal expansion are worth paying for.
Why buyers specify it
- Purity above 99 % SiO₂ with iron held in the parts-per-million range.
- Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale — scratch resistance in surfaces and coatings.
- Low and predictable thermal expansion.
- Milled in lined mills where iron pick-up would otherwise ruin the grade.
Grades we supply
Grade names are ours; the fineness and the duty are what you match against your current material.
| Grade | Fineness | Typical D50 | Usually bought for |
|---|---|---|---|
| XQP-200 | 200 mesh | 35 – 50 µm | Engineered stone, dry mix |
| XQP-325 | 325 mesh | 20 – 30 µm | Paint, epoxy flooring |
| XQP-500 | 500 mesh | 12 – 18 µm | Powder coating, sealants |
| XQP-800 | 800 mesh | 6 – 10 µm | Electrical, technical ceramics |
Other finenesses and surface treatments are available against a firm enquiry. If you are switching from another supplier, send their data sheet and we will match the curve rather than the mesh number.
Typical analysis
Chemistry
| Component | Typical range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| SiO2 | 99.0 – 99.8 % | — |
| Fe2O3 | 0.01 – 0.05 % | Lower on request |
| Al2O3 | 0.1 – 0.5 % | — |
| Loss on ignition | 0.1 – 0.3 % | — |
Physical properties
| Property | Typical range | Method basis |
|---|---|---|
| ISO brightness | 90 – 96 % | — |
| Oil absorption | 16 – 25 g/100 g | — |
| Specific gravity | 2.63 – 2.66 | — |
| Moisture as packed | ≤ 0.2 % | — |
These are typical ranges for quartz powder, not a specification. The values that govern your order are the ones measured on your lot and printed on its mill test certificate. Ask for a sample and the certificate that goes with it before you commit a production trial.
Where it is used
Quartz Powder is not one product sold 4 ways — it is 4 different conversations about the same mineral. We supply it into ceramics & sanitaryware, paint & coatings, foundry & refractories and adhesives & sealants, and in each of those the grade that works is chosen for a different reason: fineness in one, brightness in another, oil absorption or purity in the next.
Each industry below has its own page on this site, written for the people who formulate in it rather than for a general reader. If you work in one of them, start there — it will tell you which quartz powder grade we would quote for your application and what we need to know before quoting it.
- Ceramics & Sanitaryware — Body filler and expansion control.
- Paint & Coatings — Hardness and abrasion resistance in floor and industrial coatings.
- Foundry & Refractories — Refractory mixes and investment casting.
- Adhesives & Sealants — Reinforcing filler in epoxies.
Respirable crystalline silica. The same OSHA exposure rules that apply to silica sand apply to milled quartz, and fine powder is the higher-risk form. Safety data sheets ship with every lot.
Packing
| Pack | Detail | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 25 kg paper or PP bag | Palletised 40 bags per pallet, stretch-wrapped | Powders |
| 50 lb bag | US-standard weight where the plant prefers it | Powders |
| 1,000 kg / 1 MT jumbo bag | Four-loop FIBC with discharge spout | Powders, sand, granules |
| Bulk | Pneumatic tanker or loose in container, where volume justifies it | Sand, granules, lump |
Private-label bags with your own artwork are available from one container. How private label works.
Documents with every shipment
- Mill test certificate for the lot, with the measured values, not the range
- Certificate of analysis signed by the processing plant
- Safety data sheet in the US 16-section GHS format
- Certificate of origin and the commercial invoice and packing list
- Asbestos test report where the mineral and the application call for one
Need a price on quartz powder?
Send the grade, the tonnage and the delivery ZIP code. Quote and free sample back within one business day.