Deicing Salt Standards Compared: EN 16811-1 vs ASTM D632 vs BS 3247 vs GOST 13830
Procurement officer reference for 2026/27 winter season tenders. The five major regional deicing salt standards side-by-side — NaCl minimum, moisture, grain size, anti-caking declaration, pre-wetting compatibility, and what to specify for your jurisdiction.
Last updated 2026-05-05·Standards data sourced from CEN, ASTM International, BSI, SIS and Rosstandart public publications.
How to use this reference
Specify the standard for your jurisdiction in the tender (EU = EN 16811-1, US/CA = ASTM D632, UK = BS 3247:2011, Nordic = SS-EN 16811-1 + pre-wetting, CIS = GOST 13830). For dual-region procurement, dual-spec your tender so suppliers can offer the best-fit SKU from their range. Pelot Salt holds compliance to all 5 standards across the 25-SKU deicing range — request a multi-spec compliance certificate via the contact form.
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EN 16811-1
European Union
Pelot Salt SKU coverage
13 SKUs covering all grades + Type 1/2/PW variants
EN 16811-1:2016 — Winter equipment — Sodium chloride and brine for de-icing
Issuer: CEN (European Committee for Standardization)
Type/Grade distinction
YES — Type 1 (with anti-caking E535) vs Type 2 (no anti-caking)
NaCl minimum
≥ 96% for Grade A; ≥ 94% for Grade B; ≥ 93% for Grade C (lump)
Moisture max
≤ 1.5% for kiln-dried Type 1; up to 4% for natural-moisture Type 2
Insolubles max
≤ 1.0% for Grade A; ≤ 2.0% for Grade B/C
Grain size / grading
Grade A 0/2 (fine), 0/4 (common), 0/6.3 (medium); Grade B 2/8 (coarse); Grade C 10/40 (lump)
Anti-caking
E535 sodium ferrocyanide (YPS) ≤ 80 ppm permitted on Type 1; banned on Type 2
Typical buyer
EU motorway authorities (Autobahn, Autoroutes), municipal road departments, airport ground operations
Notes: The dominant European deicing standard. Type 1 vs Type 2 distinction matters — some markets (Germany, Switzerland, parts of FR) ban anti-caking E535 entirely.
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ASTM D632
USA + Canada
Pelot Salt SKU coverage
5 SKUs covering Grade 1 + Grade 2 fine variants
ASTM D632-12 — Standard Specification for Sodium Chloride
Issuer: ASTM International
Type/Grade distinction
NO type distinction; uses Grade 1 (coarse) vs Grade 2 (fine)
NaCl minimum
≥ 95% (Grade 1); ≥ 96% (Grade 2 fine)
Moisture max
≤ 2.0%
Insolubles max
≤ 2.5%
Grain size / grading
Grade 1: 95% passing 9.5 mm sieve, 10% retained on 600 μm; Grade 2 fine: 100% passing 4.75 mm, 5% retained on 600 μm
Anti-caking
Sodium ferrocyanide permitted (typically 30-100 ppm); also sodium silico-aluminate, calcium stearate
Typical buyer
US state DOTs (Departments of Transportation), Canadian provincial highway authorities, Salt Institute member contracts
Notes: Often paired with AASHTO M-143 (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials standard). M-143 references ASTM D632 directly.
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BS 3247:2011
United Kingdom
Pelot Salt SKU coverage
3 SKUs — UK-spec rock salt + marine salt variants
BS 3247:2011 — Specification for salt for spreading on highways for winter maintenance
Issuer: BSI (British Standards Institution)
Type/Grade distinction
Marine salt (sea-salt origin) vs Rock salt distinguished
NaCl minimum
≥ 90% (rock salt); ≥ 95% (marine salt)
Moisture max
≤ 4% (rock); ≤ 6% (marine — natural moisture acceptable)
Insolubles max
≤ 4% (rock); ≤ 1% (marine)
Grain size / grading
85-100% passing 6.3 mm; 5-25% passing 1.18 mm — designed for UK Highways spreader equipment
Anti-caking
Permitted but not mandated; typical UK practice uses anti-caking
Typical buyer
Highways England, Transport Scotland, Welsh Government, Northern Ireland DfI, English county councils
Notes: Updated 2011 from earlier 1996 revision. UK Highways tenders typically reference BS 3247:2011 + Grit Stocking guidance from the National Winter Service Research Group.
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SS-EN 16811-1
Nordic / Scandinavia
Pelot Salt SKU coverage
2 SKUs — pre-wetted variants (PS-ROCK-DEIC-PW + PS-SEA-DEIC-PW)
Swedish Standards Institute adoption of EN 16811-1 with national annex
Issuer: SIS (Swedish Standards Institute) + Norwegian + Finnish + Danish equivalents
Type/Grade distinction
Mirrors EN 16811-1 Type 1/2; adds explicit pre-wetting compatibility requirements
NaCl minimum
Same as EN 16811-1 base
Moisture max
Same as EN 16811-1 base
Insolubles max
Same as EN 16811-1 base
Grain size / grading
Pre-wetting variant (PW) — 70/30 dry-salt/saline solution mix; particle size optimised for liquid carrier
Anti-caking
Same as EN 16811-1; pre-wetting fluid (NaCl brine or CaCl₂ brine) added separately
Typical buyer
Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen), Finnish Transport Agency (Väylä), Danish Road Directorate
Notes: Nordic countries prioritize pre-wetting for low-temp deicing efficiency. The PW variant (pre-wetted) is critical for -10 °C and below operations.
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GOST 13830
CIS (Russia + post-Soviet states)
Pelot Salt SKU coverage
2 SKUs — Grade I + Grade II variants
GOST 13830-97 — Sodium chloride-based salt for technical applications including road de-icing
Issuer: Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (Rosstandart)
Type/Grade distinction
Grade I (high purity ≥97%), Grade II (≥95%), Grade III (industrial ≥93%); plus "Extra" specialty
NaCl minimum
≥ 97% Grade I; ≥ 95% Grade II; ≥ 93% Grade III
Moisture max
≤ 0.6% Grade I; ≤ 1.0% Grade II
Insolubles max
≤ 0.4% Grade I; ≤ 1.0% Grade II
Grain size / grading
0.8 mm to 4.5 mm sieve range; specific to GOST sieve standards (different from EU/US sieve series)
Anti-caking
Permitted; sodium ferrocyanide standard
Typical buyer
Russian Federal Highway Agency (Rosavtodor), Belarusian highway authorities, Kazakh + Uzbek + other CIS road agencies
Notes: Grade I is the premium tier — equivalent to EU Grade A 0/4 in NaCl purity but uses GOST-specific sieve sizes. Russian winter spec (-30 °C operations) often pairs with CaCl₂ brine pre-wetting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which standard should we specify in our 2026/27 winter season tender?
Specify the standard for your jurisdiction: EU member states use EN 16811-1; US/Canada use ASTM D632 + AASHTO M-143; UK uses BS 3247:2011; Nordic countries use SS-EN 16811-1 with pre-wetting; CIS countries use GOST 13830. If you procure across regions, dual-spec your tender ("EN 16811-1 Grade A 0/6.3 OR equivalent ASTM D632 Grade 1") so suppliers can offer the best-fit SKU from their range.
What's the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 in EN 16811-1?
Type 1 includes anti-caking E535 sodium ferrocyanide (≤ 80 ppm) which prevents the salt from clumping during storage and improves spreader-equipment flow. Type 2 contains NO anti-caking — required by some EU member states (Germany, Switzerland, parts of France) on environmental grounds. Type 2 is typically natural-moisture sea salt at 3–4% moisture vs Type 1's kiln-dried 1.5%. Cheaper but requires covered depot storage to prevent clumping.
Can the same salt meet multiple standards?
Often yes. A premium washed sea salt at ≥97% NaCl, < 1% moisture, < 1% insolubles, with E535 ≤ 80 ppm meets EN 16811-1 Type 1 Grade A, ASTM D632 Grade 1, BS 3247:2011 marine salt, AND GOST 13830 Grade I simultaneously. The differences are mostly in grain-size grading sieves (EU mm-based vs US/UK ASTM sieves vs GOST sieves). Pelot Salt offers multi-spec compliance certificates on request.
What is "pre-wetted" salt and which standard requires it?
Pre-wetted salt is dry rock or sea salt mixed with a liquid brine carrier (typically NaCl saline or CaCl₂ saline) at 70/30 ratio. The liquid coating means the salt activates immediately on the road surface (no waiting for moisture from passing traffic), which is critical at low temperatures (-10 °C and below). Nordic SS-EN 16811-1 specifically calls out pre-wetting compatibility. Pelot Salt offers PW variants (PS-ROCK-DEIC-PW, PS-SEA-DEIC-PW) for Nordic + low-temp markets.
How does pricing differ across standards?
Premium tier (EN 16811-1 Type 1 Grade A washed, ASTM D632 Grade 2 fine, BS 3247 marine salt, GOST 13830 Grade I): USD 50-90/MT FOB. Standard tier (EN Grade B/C, ASTM Grade 1, BS 3247 rock salt, GOST 13830 Grade II): USD 35-65/MT FOB. Pre-wetted variants add USD 5-12/MT for the liquid carrier infrastructure. Lump grade (EN Grade C, GOST Grade III) is the cheapest — bulk stockpile for crushing on-site.
Need a multi-spec compliance certificate?
Pelot Salt issues a single CoA cross-referenced to EN 16811-1 + ASTM D632 + BS 3247:2011 + GOST 13830 + SS-EN 16811-1 on request. Email sales@egyptglobe.com with your tender spec.