What You Need to Know About the Different Grades of Ethanol

So, what’s the difference between organic and synthetic What You Need to Know About the Different Grades of Ethanol?

Ethanol isn’t a one-size-fits-all chemical. It’s made for everything from cleaning circuit boards to shaking up cocktails. As such, there are seven different grades of ethanol suited to different applications.

Firstly, it’s important to understand that ethanol falls into two broad categories:

● Organic ethanol (plant-based, food-grade)

● Synthetic ethanol (derived from coal or petroleum, used industrially)

(You can learn more about this distinction in this blog post.)

1. Beverage Grade Ethanol (USP / FCC

Purity: 95–96%
Use: Alcoholic drinks
Regulated by: Food-grade standards (USP or FCC)

Beverage-grade ethanol is made from plant-based sources like sugarcane or grain. It’s carefully filtered to remove harmful by-products, making it safe for human consumption.

2. Fuel Grade Ethanol

Purity: ~95%, often denatured with methanol or gasoline
Use: Blended into petrol (e.g., E10 or E85 fuels)

Fuel ethanol is produced at scale for the transport sector. It’s heavily denatured, making it unsuitable for human use or industrial solvent purposes.

3. Industrial Grade Ethanol

Purity: Varies (95%–99.5%), may contain minor impurities
Use: Cleaning, printing, surface prep, cosmetics, and more

This is one of the most common grades of ethanol in the market. It’s versatile, affordable, and suited for manufacturing and formulation tasks where trace impurities are acceptable. Frequent uses include screen printing, ink production, cleaning electronics,and fragrance blending.

4. Pharmaceutical Grade Ethanol

Purity: 95–100%
Use: Medical production, disinfectants,
hand sanitisers

This grade of ethanol is used in pharmaceutical formulations for injectables, antiseptics, and medicinal syrups.

5. Laboratory or Reagent Grade Ethanol

Purity: 95%–100% or higher
Use: Analytical chemistry, sample preservation, and molecular biology

There are several subtypes depending on analytical needs, including ACS grade, HPLC grade, and spectrophotometric grade. These are generally required by universities, R&D labs, and scientific testing facilities.

6. Absolute Ethanol

Purity: ≥99.5%
Use: Anhydrous processes,
moisture-sensitive reactions

Absolute ethanol contains no water, which makes it ideal for specialty chemical production,

Denatured Ethanol

Purity: Variable; ethanol blended with additives to make it undrinkable
Use: Cleaning, cosmetics, industrial use There are two main types of denatured ethanol:
Completely Denatured Alcohol (CDA): Strongly denatured for general industrial use
Specially Denatured Alcohol (SDA): Milder denaturants tailored for cosmetics or pharmaceuticals

Grades of ethanol at a glance

Grade	Purity	Typical Use
Beverage Grade	95–96%	Alcoholic drinks
Fuel Grade	~95% + additives	Vehicle fuel
Industrial Grade	Varies	Solvents, manufacturing
Pharmaceutical Grade (USP)	95–100%	Medicines, sanitisers
Laboratory/Reagent Grade	95–100%+	Scientific applications
Absolute Ethanol	≥99.5%	Dry reactions, specialty uses
Denatured Ethanol	Varies	Non-beverage industrial uses

Which grade of ethanol should you use?

Choosing the right ethanol starts with your end use. Ask yourself:

Is the product going into or onto a human body? → Choose pharmaceutical or beverage grade.
Are you working in a lab or cleanroom? → Go for laboratory-grade or absolute ethanol.
Is it for industrial processes, cleaning, or cosmetics? → Industrial-grade or denatured ethanol will usually suffice.

Need help understanding which grade of ethanol you need?

Our team can recommend the right grade for your application and provide documentation for quality and compliance. Visit Solco’s online store to view available ethanol products or contact us for expert support.

Here’s a summary of our ethanol products, grades, and typical usage:

Product Name	Purity / Notes	Grade of Ethanol	Typical Use
Bio Ethanol (Burning Fuel)	Denatured, fuel use	Fuel Grade Ethanol	Ethanol fireplaces, heating
Herbo Blend (Herbal Extract)	Denatured, herbal extract	Specially Denatured / Industrial	Tinctures, cosmetics, botanical extraction
Organic Ethanol 96.4% Denatured	96.4%, denatured	Industrial Grade Ethanol	Cleaning, cosmetic blending, general solvents
Organic Ethanol 99.9% Denatured	99.9%, denatured	Industrial / Absolute Ethanol	High-purity cleaning, moisture-sensitive processes
Organic Ethanol 99.9% Undenatured	99.9%, undenatured	Pharmaceutical Grade Ethanol	Pharma, sanitiser production, extractions
Rectified ENA 93.4 I3 Denatured	93.4%, denatured	Industrial Grade Ethanol	Fragrances, inks, solvents
Rectified ENA (Extra Neutral Alcohol) 96.4% Undenatured – Food grade	96.4%, undenatured	Industrial Grade Ethanol	Flavour manufacturing, food grade applications, manufacturing of tinctures
Synthetic Ethanol 99.9% Denatured	99.9%, denatured	Industrial / Absolute Ethanol	Solvent, surface prep, chemical processing
Synthetic Ethanol E95EA5 Denatured	~95%, denatured	Industrial Grade Ethanol	Cleaning, manufacturing
Synthetic Ethanol E97i3 Denatured	~97%, denatured	Industrial Grade Ethanol	General industrial applications
Synthetic Ethanol 99.9% Undenatured	99.9%, undenatured	Pharmaceutical Grade Ethanol	Pharma, cosmetic formulations, lab use
Synthetic Ethanol E98EA2 Denatured	~98%, denatured	Industrial Grade Ethanol	Solvent, coating industries

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