Quick Lime

What Is Quick Lime?

Quick lime — also known as burnt lime, unslaked lime, or calcium oxide (CaO) — is a white to grayish, strongly alkaline solid produced by heating natural limestone at very high temperatures. It is the raw, highly reactive form of lime, produced before any water is added (adding water converts it into hydrated lime). Because of this reactivity, quick lime is valued industrially wherever a process needs a strong base, a dehydrating agent, or a source of intense, controlled heat on contact with water.

Quick facts:

How Is Quick Lime Produced?

Quick lime is manufactured through calcination — heating natural limestone (calcium carbonate) in a kiln at temperatures above 900°C, which drives off carbon dioxide and leaves behind calcium oxide:

CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂

Shivi Minerals has manufactured quick lime using Vertical Shaft Lime Kiln (VSK) technology since 1981, making us the first adopter of this process in our region. VSK technology allows precise temperature control through the calcination cycle, which directly affects two things buyers care about most:

1. Reactivity — under-burnt or over-burnt lime reacts poorly with water; controlled calcination keeps reactivity consistent batch to batch.
2. Available lime content — precise heating minimizes residual unburnt limestone, keeping total lime and available CaO within specification.

Every batch passes through quality checks before dispatch, so buyers receive consistent material rather than variable kiln output.

Key Properties of Quick Lime

• Chemical formula: CaO
• Appearance: White to grayish solid (lump form)
• Nature: Strongly alkaline, highly reactive
• Exothermic on hydration — generates significant heat when it reacts with water
• High neutralizing capacity — effective for acidic soils and effluents
• Non-combustible but reacts vigorously with moisture, so requires dry storage

Grades & Chemical Composition

Shivi Minerals supplies quick lime in two primary grades, so buyers can select based on the available-lime content their process requires:

Choosing a grade: the 85% grade is generally preferred for steel, chemical, and higher-sensitivity industrial processes where available-lime content directly affects yield or reaction efficiency. The 80% grade is commonly used in construction, general soil treatment, and other applications where cost-efficiency matters more than maximum purity.

Industries Where Quick Lime Is Used

Steel Industry

Quick lime is a core flux material in iron and steel production, used to remove impurities during smelting and refining and to help control slag chemistry.

Sugar Industry

In sugar processing, quick lime (often converted to milk of lime on-site) is used to clarify raw cane juice, precipitating impurities before filtration — a standard step in producing refined sugar.

Paper Industry

Paper and pulp mills use quick lime in the causticizing process to regenerate sodium hydroxide from sodium carbonate, helping recover chemicals used in the Kraft pulping process and reduce raw material costs.

Mining Industry

Quick lime's strong exothermic reaction with water is used in controlled rock-fracturing applications, and it's also used more broadly in mineral processing for pH control and impurity removal.

Construction Industry

Quick lime is a base material for lime-based mortars, plasters, and soil stabilization on construction sites, valued for its strength and durability contribution once processed.

Agricultural Industry

Applied to acidic soils in a process known as liming, quick lime raises soil pH and improves nutrient availability for crops.

Uses of Quick Lime

• Core raw material in iron and steel production
• Used in paper and pulp mills for chemical recovery (causticizing)
• Combined with phenolphthalein in water detection pastes
• Raw material for porcelain and glass manufacturing
• Used in water-softening systems
• Key ingredient in mortars and cement
• Neutralizes acidic soils through agricultural liming
• Enhances strength and durability in construction materials
• Used historically in Drummond lights / limelight due to its glow when heated intensely

Benefits of Choosing Shivi Minerals as Your Quick Lime Manufacturer

• Cost-effective raw material for industrial processes at competitive per-ton pricing
• Environmentally sound for water and soil treatment applications
• Improves product quality in cement, steel, and chemical manufacturing processes
• Large-scale supply capability — 1,000 tons/day supply ability supports both trial orders and continuous bulk contracts
• Four-decade manufacturing track record, since our adoption of VSK kiln technology in 1981
• Export-ready logistics with an established international supply footprint

Handling & Safety Precautions

Quick lime is highly reactive and should always be handled with appropriate precautions:

• Wear protective gloves, eyewear, and clothing at all times
• Avoid inhaling quick lime dust
• Store in a dry, moisture-free environment, away from water sources
• Keep away from acids and flammable materials
• In case of skin or eye contact, rinse thoroughly with water immediately and seek medical attention if irritation persists

Packaging, Pricing & Supply

• Minimum Order Quantity: 20 Tons
• Indicative price range: ₹4,000 – ₹6,000 per Ton (contact us for a current quote based on grade and volume)
• Supply ability: 1,000 Tons per day
• Sample availability: Yes, available on request
• Payment terms: Cash in Advance (CID), Cash Advance (CA)
• Delivery time: Approximately 1 week from order confirmation
• FOB Port: Rajasthan

Why Choose Shivi Minerals as Your Quick Lime Manufacturer

Shivi Minerals is headquartered in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and has been engaged in lime manufacturing since 1981 — the first company in our region to adopt Vertical Shaft Lime Kiln technology. Buyers choose us as a quick lime manufacturer and supplier for:

• Manufacturing heritage: over 40 years of continuous lime production experience
• Supply scale: 1,000 tons/day supply ability for large or recurring bulk orders
• Grade options: 80% and 85% CaO grades to match process-specific requirements
• Established export network: active supply relationships across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas
• Nationwide domestic reach: delivery capability across Indian states from Rajasthan to the Northeast and South India

Manufacturing & Export Capabilities

Whether you're an international buyer sourcing for a first shipment or an Indian industrial buyer setting up a recurring supply contract, reach out to our team with your required grade, volume, and delivery location for a tailored quote.

Quick Lime vs. Hydrated Lime — What's the Difference?

Buyers new to industrial lime sometimes aren't sure which form they need. Here's the distinction:

In short: quick lime is the raw, high-reactivity form of lime; hydrated lime is the stabilized form made from it by adding water. If your process specifically needs the hydrated form, see our Hydrated Lime page for full specifications.

Explore our related products: Hydrated Lime | Slaked Lime | Calcium Hydroxide

Looking for finely milled, packaged quick lime for AAC blocks or plastics applications? See our dedicated Quick Lime Powder page for product-form and particle-size details.

Common Mistakes Buyers Make When Sourcing Quick Lime

1. Choosing a supplier on price alone. Reactivity and available-lime content vary significantly between suppliers — an unusually low price often signals under-burnt or inconsistent kiln output.
2. Not confirming CaO/total lime specification before ordering. Always match the grade (80% vs. 85%) to your process requirement rather than assuming "quick lime is quick lime."
3. Overlooking storage infrastructure. Quick lime reacts vigorously with moisture; buyers without dry, sealed storage risk material degradation and safety hazards before use.
4. Underestimating handling requirements. Quick lime's exothermic reaction with water makes it more hazardous to handle than hydrated lime — buyers should confirm their team has proper PPE and storage protocols in place.
5. Not accounting for lead time on bulk/export orders. Confirm delivery timelines (typically around 1 week domestically) upfront, especially for recurring supply contracts.
6. Skipping a sample order. Since reactivity varies by kiln and batch, requesting a sample before committing to a large order is a low-cost way to confirm quality fit.

Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Quick Lime Grade

1. Identify your application — steel, sugar, paper, construction, mining, or agriculture each has different sensitivity to available-lime content.
2. Confirm required CaO/total lime specification — match against the 80%/85% grade table above.
3. Check magnesia and silica tolerance if your process has strict impurity limits (common in steel and chemical applications).
4. Decide on order volume and delivery timeline — MOQ is 20 tons, with roughly 1-week delivery; plan larger export orders against our 1,000 ton/day supply ability.
5. Request a sample before committing to a first large order.
6. Confirm payment terms and FOB details — Cash in Advance/Cash Advance, FOB Rajasthan — before finalizing.