SAPONIFICATION VALUES
| Oils are composed of fatty acids which require a certain amount of an alkali (lye) to saponify them, or change them into soap. Use the chart below to find the saponification value of your chosen oils and then fill in the equation to figure out how much lye you need for your soap recipe. Oil (in ounces or grams by weight) x SAP value* (from chart below) = Amount of lye needed If you are using more than one type of oil in a single recipe, do the above step for each oil and total your results together to get the total amount of lye needed. *Use Sodium Hydroxide listing for bar soaps and potassium hydroxide for liquid soaps. |
NOTE: This chart is greatly expanded in Dare To Prepare
|
|
Hydroxide (NaOH) |
Hydroxide (KOH) |
|
Hydroxide (NaOH) |
Hydroxide (KOH) |
| Almond, Sweet | .1360 | .1904 | |||
| Apricot Kernel | .1350 | .1890 | Maize | .1360 | .1904 |
| Arachis | .1360 | .1904 | Mink | .1400 | .1960 |
| Avocado | .1330 | .1862 | Mustard | .1241 | .1737 |
| Babassu, brazil nut | .1750 | .2450 | Neat's foot | .1359 | .1902 |
| Beef Hoof | .1410 | .1974 | Neem | .1387 | .1941 |
| Beeswax, White | .0690 | .0966 | Niger-seed | .1355 | .1897 |
| Brazil Nut | .1750 | .2450 | Nutmeg Butter | .1160 | .1624 |
| Butterfat, Cow | .1619 | .2266 | Olium Olivate | .1340 | .1876 |
| Butterfat, Goat | .1672 | .2340 | Olive | .1340 | .1876 |
| Canola | .1240 | .1736 | Palm Butter | .1560 | .2184 |
| Castor | .1286 | .1800 | Palm Kernel | .1560 | .2184 |
| Chicken Fat | .1389 | .1944 | Palm | .1410 | .1974 |
| Chinese Bean | .1350 | .1890 | Peanut | .1360 | .1904 |
| Cocoa Butter | .1370 | .1918 | Perilla | .1369 | .1916 |
| Coconut | .1900 | .2660 | Poppyseed | .1383 | .1936 |
| Cod-liver | .1326 | .1856 | Pumpkinseed | .1331 | .1863 |
| Coffee-seed | .1300 | .1820 | Ramic | .1240 | .1736 |
| Colza | .1240 | .1736 | Rape | .1240 | .1736 |
| Corn | .1360 | .1904 | Rapeseed | .1240 | .1736 |
| Cottonseed | .1386 | .1940 | Rice Bran | .1280 | .1792 |
| Earthnut | .1360 | .1904 | Ricinus | .1286 | .1800 |
| Flaxseed | .1357 | .1899 | Safflower | .1360 | .1904 |
| Florence, aka Olive | .1340 | .1876 | Sesame Seed | .1330 | .1862 |
| Gigely Tree | .1330 | .1862 | Shea Butter | .1280 | .1792 |
| Goose Fat | .1369 | .1916 | Shortening (veg.) | .1360 | .1904 |
| Grapeseed | .1265 | .1771 | Soybean | .1350 | .1890 |
| Hazelnut | .1356 | .1898 | Sunflower Seed | .1340 | .1876 |
| Hemp Seed | .1345 | .1883 | Sweet Oil | .1340 | .1876 |
| Java Cotton | .1370 | .1918 | Tallow, bear | .1390 | .1946 |
| Jojoba | .0690 | .0966 | Tallow, beef | .1405 | .1967 |
| Kapok | .1370 | .1918 | Tallow, chinese vegetable | .1345 | .1883 |
| Karite Butter (Shea) | .1280 | .1792 | Tallow, deer | .1379 | .1930 |
| Katchung | .1360 | .1904 | Tallow, goat | .1383 | .1936 |
| Kukui Nut | .1350 | .1890 | Tallow, sheep | .1383 | .1936 |
| Lanolin | .0741 | .1037 | Teal/Teel/Til | .1330 | .1862 |
| Lard | .1380 | .1932 | Theobroma | .1370 | .1918 |
| Linseed | .1357 | .1899 | Tung | .1377 | .1927 |
| Loccu | .1340 | .1876 | Walnut | .1353 | .1894 |
| Macadamia | .1390 | .1946 | Wheatgerm | .1310 | .1834 |
|
A special thanks to Elaine White for doing a large part of the original footwork. Thanks to Lisa Lisa "the Mad Soaper" and Therese L. for all the work involved in putting this information into spreadsheet form. |