DOWFLAKE Xtra Calcium Chloride Flake Ice Melt 50 lb Bag, 83 to 87 Percent
Concentration Is The Whole Story With Calcium Chloride
A bag of weak calcium chloride flake and a bag of strong flake look identical. What differs is how much active material you are actually buying, and therefore how far the bag goes. Buying on price per bag rather than price per pound of active ingredient is how people end up spreading twice as much for the same result.
- 83 to 87 percent calcium chloride. A genuinely high concentration flake.
- Ten percent more than conventional flake. Stated by the manufacturer.
- Heat release. Calcium chloride is exothermic, so it melts downward under its own steam rather than waiting for sun.
- More pound for pound performance. Which is what actually decides cost per storm.
Flake Or Pellet?
Both are calcium chloride and both work in deep cold. Pellets are round, so they bore down through ice and break the bond with the pavement faster. Flake has more surface area, so it starts dissolving and spreading sooner. For a fast initial bite flake is excellent; for drilling through thick ice, pellets such as Peladow have the edge.
DOWFLAKE Xtra Specifications
| Product Type | Calcium chloride flake ice melter |
| Supplier | Chemical Equipment Labs |
| Concentration | 83 to 87 percent calcium chloride |
| Relative Strength | About 10 percent more than conventional flake |
| Form | Flake |
| Action | Exothermic, releases heat as it dissolves |
| Package | 50 lb bag |
A Word On Surfaces
Calcium chloride is the most powerful common de-icer, and powerful is hard on things. Keep it off concrete under a year old and be careful on natural stone and decorative masonry. If the surface matters more than the temperature, look at Majestic Melt or our CMA blended products.
Not sure how many 50 LB bags of polymeric sand your paver project will need? Try our Polymeric Sand Calculator