Answer

Which calcium source? Five products compared

Calcium arrives attached to something else in every one of these, and the something else is usually what decides the purchase.

The short answer. On our published grades: calcium nitrate 15.5% N, 19% Ca, di calcium phosphate 18% Ca, 20% P, calcium sulphate 20-23% Ca, EDTA Ca 10% Chelated Ca. Calcium chloride is published as 74-77% CaCl2, which is a compound figure rather than a calcium figure, so it does not sit in the same column.

The second element usually decides it

Calcium nitrate brings nitrogen, di calcium phosphate brings phosphorus, calcium sulphate brings sulphate, calcium chloride brings chloride, and the chelate brings the chelating agent. None of these is a neutral carrier. What you can accept alongside the calcium narrows the list faster than the calcium percentage does.

What each product publishes

ProductFormulaGrade publishedStandard packing
Calcium NitrateCa(NO₃)₂·4H₂O15.5% N, 19% Ca50 kg net, HDPE bag
Calcium ChlorideCaCl₂74-77% CaCl250 kg net, HDPE bag
Di Calcium PhosphateCaHPO₄18% Ca, 20% P50 kg net, HDPE bag
Calcium SulphateCaSO₄20-23% Ca50 kg net, HDPE bag
EDTA Ca (Calcium)C₁₀H₁₂CaN₂Na₂O₈10% Chelated Ca50 kg net, HDPE bag

Every grade in this table is the figure published on that product’s own page on this site. Nothing is estimated. The guaranteed analysis on the product page and the batch certificate of analysis govern any supply.

Calcium chloride is quoted differently, and used differently

The 74-77% CaCl2 figure on our calcium chloride page is the compound, not the element. Calcium chloride also spans applications a long way from the others on this list — it appears in our catalogue under oil and gas drilling fluids, de-icing and dust control, and food, as well as agriculture. When you enquire, tell us the application as well as the quantity, because the grade follows from it.

How to compare two quotes honestly

Where two products carry the same element at different strengths, the price per kilogram of bag is not a comparison. Divide the delivered price per kilogram by the element fraction and you get the cost per kilogram of the thing you are actually buying. That is the only basis on which grades of different strength can be set against each other.

Our nutrient cost comparison calculator does that arithmetic on any two products in our range and prints its working, and the element content calculator converts between kilograms of product and kilograms of the element. Freight follows the same logic: moving a weaker grade means paying to move more material that is not the element.

Which one should you buy?

That is decided by your process, and by things we cannot see from here: how the product is applied, what it is blended with, what has to dissolve and how fast, the specification you or your customer must meet, and how far the material travels. Any supplier who answers that question without asking about your process is guessing.

We manufacture the alternatives set out above, so we have no reason to steer you toward the dearer one. Describe the application and we will tell you what we would send and why, including when the cheaper grade is the right answer.

What to send us for a quote

Four things let us price these products without a round of questions: the grade, the quantity, the delivery location, and any specification you have to meet. Send those and we come back with a price, the packing, and the documents that travel with the consignment. There is more detail on what to send us for a quote.

Know what you need already? Send the grade, the quantity and the delivery location and we will quote against them.

Questions buyers ask

Which calcium source? Five products compared: frequently asked questions

Which calcium product has the most calcium?
Of those quoted on element content, calcium sulphate at 20-23% Ca and calcium nitrate at 19% Ca are the highest on our published grades.
Is 74-77% CaCl2 the calcium content?
No. That is the calcium chloride content of the material, not the calcium content. Ask us if you need the element figure for a calculation.
Does calcium nitrate supply nitrogen too?
Yes. Our page publishes it at 15.5% N and 19% Ca.
Does Taskon manufacture chelated calcium?
Yes, EDTA Ca, published at 10% chelated Ca.

Need a price?

Send the grade, the quantity and the delivery location and we will quote against them.