In our grading system, “industrial grade” (Grade 2) is the workhorse category. Most non-food applications use it. The bucket is wide and it is worth being explicit about what fits inside and what does not.
What industrial grade is fine for
- Cleaners, detergents, and degreasers.
- Industrial adhesives (with the caveat that subsequent contents will need to tolerate trace adhesive carrier residue).
- Most agricultural chemicals (with prior-contents review).
- Non-hazardous industrial liquids: lubricants, coolants, etc.
- Bulk water for non-potable uses.
- Secondary containment.
What it is not fine for
- Anything food contact, ever.
- Pharmaceutical first-fill applications.
- Listed RCRA hazardous waste (we will not even take these at intake).
- Ultra-pure chemistry where parts-per-billion contamination matters.
How we draw the line at intake
When a tote comes in with documented prior contents in a particular chemical class, it gets routed to a wash line tuned for that class. A solvent-prior tote does not run on the same line as a glycerin-prior tote. The lines are physically separated; the wash chemistry is different; the operators are different.
After reconditioning, the tote inherits the grade designation we can substantiate. A tote with documented industrial-only prior contents, reconditioned on the industrial line, ships as industrial grade. That is what the customer is paying for and that is what they get.