Winter Salt

Winter Salt

OUTCO primarily uses white salt as our main de-icing agent, due to white salt being highly effective, clean to use and more environmentally friendly than brown salt. 

White salt is much more sustainable than brown salt because it is collected from evaporated seawater. It is more concentrated than brown salt and therefore is more effective as a de-icing agent. 

Composition of white salt : 99.99% pure salt 

Advantages

• White salt is sustainable and environmentally friendly, as it is essentially evaporated seawater 
• It does not leave behind a messy residue after spreading 
• It is perfect for high footfall areas or locations where it may be trodden into buildings or vehicles, as it does not leave behind brown stains 
• White salt gets to work faster than brown salt, as it is 99.99% pure salt. 

Disadvantages

• Slightly more expensive than brown salt. But using white salt will often save you time and money in the long run, as you will not have to clean up left-over residue or stains.

Gritting in cold temperatures

In some circumstances, we prefer to use brown salt (grit) as it is often more effective at temperatures below -10 Celsius, which is extremely cold and seldom experienced in the UK.

Between 6-10% of brown salt is made from impurities (clay, sand and iron oxide etc), hence why a gritty residue is left behind. This solid residue can help to aid traction on slopes and provide vehicle tyres with additional “bite.”

Best of both

At OUTCO we continually adapt our gritting approach depending on the weather and site-specific needs. Spreading a blended mix of white and brown salt often ensures clients benefit from the best of both types of salt.

Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of white and brown winter gritting salt.