U.S. exports of Sodium Hydroxide in Aqueous Solution (Liquid Soda / Soda Lye) (SITC 52263) totaled $109.4M in August 2026.
Importers of Sodium Hydroxide in Aqueous Solution (Liquid Soda / Soda Lye) paid $1.1M in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 7.64% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule. Sodium Hydroxide in Aqueous Solution (Liquid Soda / Soda Lye) imports of $14.6M in August 2026 ran 16% above the year-to-date monthly average of $12.6M.
Last updated: August 2026 dataLiquid caustic soda — traded as soda lye or liquid soda, typically at 50% NaOH concentration — is a bulk commodity moved primarily by tank truck, railcar, or ISO tank container, making freight economics and proximity to supply a dominant factor in sourcing decisions. As a co-product of chlorine manufacture, its availability is tied to chlorine demand cycles, which can create periodic regional surpluses or tightness independent of NaOH demand itself. Water treatment, textile processing, and food-grade applications each impose distinct purity specifications, and importers should confirm that the product meets the applicable standard — including food-grade certification where required — before entry.
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313 import shipments a month
Technical-grade liquid caustic soda is adequate for most industrial applications such as pulp processing and chemical synthesis, but food-grade or membrane-cell grade is required for applications in food processing, drinking water treatment, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Food-grade material must meet specifications for heavy metal content — particularly mercury — which is why membrane-cell production is preferred over older mercury-cell processes for these end uses.
Caustic soda is produced in fixed molar ratio with chlorine in the chlor-alkali process, so its supply is driven by chlorine demand rather than by NaOH demand alone. When chlorine markets are weak and producers curtail output, caustic soda supply tightens even if NaOH demand is strong — a structural supply dynamic that importers should factor into inventory and contract planning.
Basic heading 51 of 465 in section 5
Basic heading 52263 · $109.4M of $26.2B
Exports · August 2026
destination
Brazil and Finland together take 47% of it.
customs district
Census does not publish district detail for this classification system.
origin
Census does not publish state detail for this classification system.
entry
Census does not publish port detail for this classification system.
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ImportsExports
Imports
$14.6MYoY · free account
Exports
$109.4MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $164.1M of Sodium Hydroxide in Aqueous Solution (Liquid Soda / Soda Lye) and exported $1.3B.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.