hess pumice products

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Key Features

Physical Properties

Chemical Analysis

Quality Assurance Testing

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pumice magnified
Pumice under magnification. Pumice is, essentially, a porous volcanic glass.

pumice vesicles
Magnified image of pumice vesicles, formed by the expansion of trapped gases while molten lava rapidly cools.

hess pumice plants one and two
Hess Pumice plants one and two.

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Pumice Properties, Chemical Analysis and Screening Analysis Fact Sheet

DS Fact Sheet

Material Safety Data Sheets:

  —English

  —Euro English

  —Euro Standard

  —Chinese

  —French

  —German

  —Italian

  —Spanish

SUPERIOR QUALITY PUMICE


Key Features of Hess Pumice

• Specialized impurity extraction technologies allow for extremely high purity content (98% - 99.8%, depending on grade)

• Low unit weight (40 - 45 lbs per cubic foot, depending on grade)

• Consistent MOHS of between 5.5 and 6.1

• Superior friability characteristics

• Reported performance benefits of 25% - 50% over all other available pumice worldwide

• Near white color useful in many filler applications

• FOB pricing consistently the lowest in industry (depends on grade) due to advantageous economies of scale

• Large warehouse and unsurpassed processing capability allow for rapid response to customers' needs

• Custom blending available to meet the most exacting customer specifications

• Pumice, due to its amorphous characteristics, is not considered a health risk to the workers who handle it (See downloadable Material Safety Data Sheets, below left)

• We can help customers secure economic freight rates from our location (Freight Collect)

• Confirmed 200+ year source of pumice reserves

Physical Properties

• Chemical Name: Amorphous Aluminum Silicate

• Hardness (MOHS): 6.1

• pH: 7.2

• Radioactivity: None

• Loss on Ignition (LOI): 5%

• Softening Point: 900 degrees C

• Water Soluble Substances: 0.15%

• Acid Soluble Substances: 2.9%

• Reactivity: Inert

• Appearance: Off-white powder

Chemical Analysis

• Silicon Dioxide - 70.5%

• Aluminum Oxide - 13.5%

• Ferric Oxide - 1.1%

• Ferrous Oxide - 0.1%

• Sodium - 1.6%

• Potassium - 1.8%

• Calcium - 0.8%

• Titanium Oxide - 0.2%

• Sulphur Trioxide - 0.1%

• Magnesium Oxide - 0.5%

• Moisture - 3.4%

Ongoing Testing for Quality Assurance

quality assurance testing

Hess Pumice is continuously testing our product to ensure superior quality. Among the most common tests that we perform in-house are:

• Sieve Size Analysis (ASTM C-136)

• Particle Size Analysis by Laser Diffraction (Coulter Method)

• Whiteness (Datacolor “Check” method)

Typical Screen Analysis of Standard Grades Average Percent Passing Sieves

screening test analysis chart

The above graduations are only typical. Normal production tolerances from the typical will be permitted. A trace is allowable on the next coarser sieve. (Click chart image above to enlarge; or download printable version)

Test Method: Split sample to 50 grams and shake for 10-20 minutes on Ro-Tap type sieve shaker. Use standard 8-inch U.S. Mesh testing sieves.

We have over 300 pumice grades available. For information on custom grades please call us at (800)767-4701.

We also submit product samples to outside laboratories for third-party verification in the following areas:

• Bacteria plate count

• Chemical analysis

• Bulk Density

We adhere to a strict inspection policy and are compliant with all ISO 9000/2000 standards.

Every lot of product is tested a minimum of three times during the production process with samples being retained for at least two years. All quality and sales records are retained electronically as well as in hard-copy form.

We go to great lengths to ensure customer satisfaction in both our product and the entire purchasing experience.