Cost of Lye

[Katie68121]

New Soaper here! So I live in HI and sodium hydroxide seems to be extremely hard to find, except one place. Lowe’s. They have the brand called Crystal drain cleaner 100% Lye. However the price seems high to me and I’m just wondering what the average price is for Lye. I got 2lbs for $17! Also if any other Soapers live in HI it would be great to know where you get your Lye. Thank you!
Katie

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Be sure to go to the introduction forum and tell us a bit about yourself. Unfortunately because of where you live you're probably going to pay way more that we do in the states. I purchase lye from Essential Depot in Florida. You can check there but it may be costly and they may not ship there either. You could also check Amazon for options. Another suggestion is to see if there are any chemical companies that have lye and sell it. Though you may need to buy a large amount. I had a company that sold it in 55 lb bags.

 

[Katie68121]

Thanks! I’ve checked amazon and they don’t ship out here, other online resources charge around $100 to ship. There is a company out here that makes chemicals and they will only sell to me if I have a business license. Which I don’t because I’m just making for fun as of right now. So what is the average cost of lye then? That’s what I’m trying to figure out.

 

[Catscankim]

I think anything that ships from the inland states is considered an import oddly enough. If i could send it to you cheaper i would...

 

[shunt2011]

There really isn’t an average. It will vary greatly on where you buy, distance for shipping and amount being purchased. I buy 32-64 lbs at a time. I buy it when they have it on sale. I only purchase once every 1-2 years. Some soap suppliers carry lye too and it will cost more than buying in bulk.

 

[Katie68121]

There really isn’t an average. It will vary greatly on where you buy, distance for shipping and amount being purchased. I buy 32-64 lbs at a time. I buy it when they have it on sale. I only purchase once every 1-2 years. Some soap suppliers carry lye too and it will cost more than buying in bulk.

What I’m trying to figure out is if I’m overpaying by ALOT or a little. There’s always an average price amount for something. Like typical price or bulk price, but thanks ....

 

[AliOop]

What I’m trying to figure out is if I’m overpaying by ALOT or a little. There’s always an average price amount for something. Like typical price or bulk price, but thanks ....

It really does depend on where you live. I can usually get lye for about $4-5 per lb at the hardware store, but other people who buy in bulk and live near a bulk supplier can get it for less since they don’t pay for shipping. Sometimes I can find it on Amazon with free shipping for $2-3 per lb. People in rural areas may pay quite a bit more. It’s quite a range.

 

[shunt2011]

What I’m trying to figure out is if I’m overpaying by ALOT or a little. There’s always an average price amount for something. Like typical price or bulk price, but thanks ....

I find out what's best by checking suppliers and seeing what the costs come out to for me. You'll need to do the same. It can be 2-3 per lb up to 8-9 per lb. It will depend on shipping cost that add quite a bit. When I first started I bought it from a local hardware. it was 5 per lb. I've also seen it at hardware stores for 12.00. You'll need to do research to get it to you for the best cost. Getting it the way you are right now is probably the most cost effective as everything is costly there.