Calcium Chloride is overall a better choice than Magnesium for road stabilization, de-icing and dust control. The following chart compares the two with a variety of factors to show that calcium chloride outperforms magnesium on all counts. In general, calcium chloride is much safer and friendlier to the environment.
Factor |
CaCl2
|
MgCl2 |
Lowest temperature that product effectively melts ice |
-25°F (-32°C)
|
Very ineffective at this point. Practical ice melting temperature of 5°F (-15°C) |
|
Crystallization
|
32% CaCl2 solution (most common in winter) does not form crystals down to -25°F (-32°C)
|
Effectiveness limited by presence of magnesium sulfate as an impurity which crystallizes between 0°F (-18°C) and -5°F (-21°C). Result: sludge in tanks; clogging of spray nozzles and transfer pumps. |
Performance on melting ice (1) |
Between 0°F (-18°C) and 30°F (-1°C), melts between 30% and 55% more ice
|
Poor overall performance on amount of ice melted at same temperatures |
Ice penetration (2) |
At 20°F (-7°C), has 22% more penetration after 10 minutes and 38% after 30 minutes than MgCl2.
At 5°F (-15°C), 58% more ice penetration than MgCl2.
|
Slower overall ice penetration at same temperatures |
Application Rate
|
Two parts of CaCl2 does more work in less time than three parts MgCl2. |
50% to 100% more MgCl2 is needed to remove equal amount of snow and ice
|
Concrete Friendliness (3)
|
Negligible effect on concrete |
Slow deterioration of concrete |
Corrosive Impact |
CorGuard provides even greater protection for concrete reinforcements, bridge decks, metal rebar and metal highway components (may be 80 - 90% less corrosive than road salt) |
More than 2x as corrosive to 304 stainless steel than CaCl2
10 x more corrosive to mild steel than CaCl2 |
|
Toxicity (4) |
Significantly less toxicity than MgCl2 in bioassay tests on rainbow trout.
CaCl2 is a common food ingredient found in beer, cheese, canned tomatoes, olives, cherries and pickles. |
Rainbow trout were 5 times more sensitive to 29% MgCl2 than to 35% CaCl2 |
Impact on Vegetation |
Used as fertilizer on fruit trees and vegetables to provide calcium uptake.
|
Also used as fertilizer. More harmful. Increases chloride levels in spruce trees.
Found to be more detrimental on turf grass than other deicers except urea.
|
Environmental Safety |
Contains 64% chloride (dry weight).
A clean, organic material that does not leave an oily or powdery residue after its use. |
Contains 74% chloride (dry weight).
Less effective ice melter so must use more to achieve same degree of ice control as CaCl2 |
