Calcium Chloride Home : Frequently Asked Questions : Deicing Application Questions

How does the corrosiveness of calcium chloride deicers compare with that of other deicers?

Because corrosion is a very complex issue, there are very few simple answers to corrosion questions that are accurate across all real-world situations. One of the few generalizations that can be made is that common types of bare metal exposed to chloride typically experience an increased rate of corrosion. In general, there is little difference in corrosion performance between the various chloride-based deicers.

Some vendors may cite a particular lab test to support claims that one chloride-based product is "less corrosive" than another; however, it is important to know that lab tests often fail to accurately represent real-world performance. Good science doesn't support this attempt to differentiate the corrosion performance of one chloride-based deicer versus another.

Non-chloride deicers are less corrosive than chloride-based deicers; however, their deicing performance is relatively weak, and there are certain situations where even these expensive products can be associated with corrosion problems.